


May

by JDBeckett



Series: 365 Prompts [5]
Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-01
Updated: 2014-05-31
Packaged: 2018-03-22 09:13:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 39,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3723388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JDBeckett/pseuds/JDBeckett





	1. Sanity

They held him up by the arms, his feet were dragging on the ground as they pulled him down the corridor, his crutch nowhere to be seen. He was tossed into a white, padded room and could only stare silently, his eyes wide, confused. He didn't understand what had just happened.

He had been reading in his living room, minding his own business when people in white suits broke down his door. Without even telling him the reason for their presence, they grabbed him, pulled him to his feet and since he couldn't follow them well enough this way, they ended up dragging him just about literally. Into a van.

The van went somewhere, there were no windows, he honestly couldn't tell. Once it stopped, they pulled him out and all he saw was an old sort of manor, a castle maybe. There was a sign on the side but the van blocked it and he couldn't tell what it was. Now that he was in that white cell however he knew where he was, or at least he assumed, he couldn't ever recall hearing of Dunkerque having itself a psychiatric hospital. They hadn't driven that far, they couldn't have left the city.

  


He has no idea how long he spent in that room before someone came to see him. Though it wasn't quite someone coming to see him as again he was dragged out of his cell and taken to a room. He wished they would give him a chance to walk but without his crutch he never would have been able to keep pace, even with it he doubted, they walked by too quickly.

They took him to an office where he was sat in a chair and told not to move, or else. He waited for what seemed like an eternity before a young woman stepped into the room and settled behind the desk. Her face rang no bell for him, he had never seen her before in his life.

"We've been expecting you, Armin Everhart. Always sneaking around, trying to not be found. Well now you're here and you're not getting out."

He opened his mouth to ask a question but she snarled and cut him off before he even could make a single small sound.

"Oh don't you start the pity act with me, Armin. You're pathetic. I don't know how you managed to stay out there so long but that's all in the past now. People with your problem belong behind bars. They can't be part of the society we have now because they're sick and sick people make this society crumble, little by little."

The woman was obviously insane but every time he tried to open his mouth to utter any single sound at all he was snarled at so he learned to keep his mouth shut. It seemed pointless to try to ask anything or point anything out. He still didn't even know why he was in this place at all.

Suddenly he missed his friends, he missed Eoghan and even Alexis and the twins, their sister he'd only really met once. He didn't know why they came to mind just then but he latched onto that emotion, it seemed his safest and only outlet in this place.

"Especially people like you. People who hear voices. You are the most dangerous ones. You're so sick that you can't even have a normal life. If it was up to me I would lock away every single person who ever showed any sign of illness and I know the world would be a much better place!"

"You're absolutely insane!" He finally found his voice though it nearly choked on him.

"This is hilarious coming from the man with the voices in his head. Take him back to his room. He's not coming out. He can have his meals in there for the rest of his life. The only time I want him to come out of there is for his treatments and I suppose once or twice a day for bathroom use."

This woman was absolutely insane. He hadn't told anyone about the voices, he couldn't even hear them now! 

He struggled when they were beginning to drag him back towards his cell, his final home. He flailed best as he could but it led him nowhere at all. When he was tossed back into his cell, he merely crawled his way into a corner and tried to settle there. His leg was paining him from all that dragging.

  


Meals came in at almost regular hours. At first he refused to eat, he didn't want to be in this place. What if she was the crazy one and they had kidnapped people left and right? It made no sense, how would she have known his name? Maybe they had found his wallet, that had to be it. That didn't explain her going on about the voices, though maybe it was her affliction and she claimed everyone was like that.

Eventually, hunger won out and he ate his meals. This solitary confinement thing was beginning to wear on him. At this point he did wish the voices were back, wanted to hear something, anything other than the scrape of the slot for his food opening and closing or the door when they took him out to the bathroom.

He couldn't tell time, other than the fact that he had three meals a day. He couldn't keep track of passing days. It was hard to tell when they finally pulled him out of his cell to go into a direction opposite of the one he had gone to before. They were still dragging him, not even giving him a chance to walk. Their arms tightly held his own in an almost vice grip, they were hurting him. He was past really caring.

They took him into a room filled with equipment he couldn't really understand. He was set out on a long table, strapped down and some contraption set over his head. His eyes widened as they put a wooden stick in his mouth. Even if he wanted to flail and struggle now it was hopeless, he could barely even move a muscle he was strapped down so tight.

Screwing his eyes shut, he tried to shut out the pain he knew would come the moment the switch was flipped. He counted down from a hundred in his mind, trying to focus on something other than his situation and he could barely hear his own thoughts.

Distantly, there came the click of the switch being flipped on and- 

  


His doorbell rang.

Waking with a start, Armin stared at his brightly lit room blearily. His heart pumping away painfully in his chest. He tried to breathe in and out, to calm himself. The doorbell rang again and he screwed his eyes shut. A low, choked laugh escaped him as he pulled himself out of his bed carefully. He wrapped himself up in his bathrobe, located his crutch, eased it slowly on his arm and slowly, almost painfully so, he made his way towards his door.

"I'm coming." He called out softly, his voice hoarse as if from severe disuse.

On the other side of the door, Eoghan stood, worry plain as day on his face and Armin blinked up at him. Eoghan's worry only worsened at the sight of his friend.

"I knocked at the usual time of our meeting but you weren't answering. I know you're usually an early riser and I didn't just want to barge in and-" Eoghan paused and looked his friend over, "Armin you look like hell, what happened?"

Armin could only laugh again, a low, exhausted sort of sound as he stepped away from the door. "Come in. I was having a nightmare, I guess. I'll tell you in a bit, if you don't mind my getting a quick shower, I feel filthy."

"Go on ahead, take your time. I'll prepare some tea if you don't mind?"

"Tea might help, thank you." And he disappeared into his bathroom, hoping to never again have this dream.


	2. Walk in the Park

"I'm glad you forgave me, Agni." Mira's voice is soft, thoughtful as he looks up to the flowering trees. His lips quirk into a pleased smile and he sighs, a relaxed, content sort of sound. 

Beside him, his brother shrugs lightly as he looks down at the ground, there are flowers there as well and he stops a moment, kneels and plucks one up. One might not make a different considering the number of them. He picks up speed once more and settles at his brother's side, holding the flower out.

"You're my only brother, the only one I've got. I can't hold a grudge forever, it would just tear us apart. I was just hurt. I didn't want to be away from you but I'm getting used to having the room all to myself."

"Yeah, you're an absolute slob." Mira's words are gently teasing as he takes the flower and kisses his brother's cheek. He brings the flower to his nose and breathes in its faint scent.

Rolling his eyes, Agni jabs his sibling in the ribs but he keeps on walking. "I can't help it. The floor isn't covered in clothes at least, it's all books so I'm a learning slob and I just don't have enough room to put it all away."

"Agni, our rooms are huge, we have shelves and room for more shelves, you can't think that I'll believe that you're already all out of room on your shelves, you're just lazy, admit it."

Grumbling, though it is all in good fun, Agni shrugs again but reaches out to take his brother's hand. Mira doesn't even hesitate before letting him. This is a very old habit they shared and even if they no longer shared room, this was not going to be broken any time soon. If anyone saw anything wrong with it, it wasn't something they worried about. They had one another, it was what mattered.

"This place is beautiful. I mean we've seen a lot while we were out there and growing up but this place is just beautiful." There is soft awe in Agni's voice as he looks briefly up to the trees then back down to the flowers on either side of the pathway they are walking along.

"Spring is beautiful. It's just a matter of finding the perfect place to appreciate it." Mira's voice is thoughtful. He settles the flower to rest it behind the top of his ear since his hair is far from long enough to put it there.

"I never wanted us to fight, Mira." There is something of a begging note to Agni's voice this time and Mira merely squeezes his brother's hand, a soft sort of smile to his lips. He shakes his head and pulls his sibling along when they reach a fork in the path they were working on.

  


They continue their walk in silence, listening to the chirping of the birds, to the buzzing of the bees. They stop by the pond and settle side by side on the bench there, listening, watching, maybe hoping to see a frog or three. The day is peaceful, their sister at work and everyone they might have hoped to 'bother' at that point were busy with other things. The twins know they are more than old enough to wander on their own, so long as they don't wander off too far and get lost at this point.

They stay by the pond a while more before continuing on their way. They have walked through the park often before, just never quite at this point in the season. They know their way around but there is always something new to discover.

When the sun settles high in the sky, they find a spot under tree, just partly in the shade and settle out the thick blanket they had brought along. They sit and set out their mock-feast. Some sandwiches, two bottles of juices, sliced fruit in a bowl and two forks. A simple enough lunch but it is more than enough for them.

They eat in relative silence, knowing it isn't an awkward moment. They have always had silence on their side, even when together. They both know that speaking is not always a necessity when you are with someone. If you can appreciate spending quiet time with someone, then you might just be good to spend more time with them. When spending quiet time with someone is awkward, there is a missing connection.

At least, that's how they see things.

  


Their lunch done, they lounge, merely settling out in the half-sun. Its rays are warm and they are dressed for the weather, they settle and close their eyes. Perhaps not so much napping as they merely appreciate the moment. There is peace all around them. They could just the same have had peace by being up on the roof of their building but it wouldn't have been the same. Soon however the pool will be set up and filled, its water kept warm all year round and that will be something else to appreciate.

For now, the beauty of the quiet of the park is more than enough for them. They can't ask for more.

  


When a slight chill begins to make itself known, Agni gently rouses his brother from his almost doze. They pack up their blankets and the rest of their left over bits of lunch and start back on their way out of the park and home. They both know that the streets will be quiet at this point still. Most other teenagers their age are in school, adults at work. There is a longing in the twins, a desire to go to school and meet other people but they know that they would more than likely have to start at the bottom since they never have set foot in a school and it makes the desire for schooling vanish altogether. They learn well enough from the books Alexis and Eoghan both leave with them.

Still holding hands, they walk to the edge of the park and both stretch in the warm rays of the sun. They start the peaceful walk back home. The streets are indeed mainly clear of people though a few older folks walk on by. Either just enjoying the day or heading off to who knows where. It barely matters to the boys at this point. They are not that curious about the general population.

As they walk up to their home, they release one another, not because it is a necessity but because it is habit. Agni opens the door, always a gentleman and he bows. Mira laughs at his brother's antics and steps inside. They both take the stairs to head up to the second floor and slip into their apartment.

They put away their blanket and what little they had taken from the kitchen before they both disappear into their respective room. It only takes them a few moment before they are back out of their rooms, changed into something more comfortable for time spent inside and they step into their living room. Mira with a book, Agni without, the eldest settles on the couch and his sibling settles on the floor against his leg, book in his lap.

Their lives aren't all that complex, this they both are more than aware of. It is a matter of one day after the other but they can't ask for more. They are adapting and living their lives best they can.


	3. Money

"So I've never asked you because I always thought it was too personal but I'm just too curious, I don't know why honestly." Yael's voice is quiet, thoughtful really as he sits quietly in the living room, yarn on either side of him as he actually knits. The idea of jewellery had never taken off though he had tried his hand at little sculptures, those worked better.

Quentin, sitting next to him, reading one of his favourite old books, cants his head, curious as to the question. He puts a bookmark on the page he was at and closes the door, setting it away for the time being. He watches his companion a moment more, making sure he finishes the row he had been working on then gently tugs it all away from his finger. A 'too personal' question required all attention.

"Err, okay." Yael does let go of the knitting he is working on and sighs. "I work. I mean, I've sold some artwork and recently I've been completely blocked on that subject and I haven't been bringing in any money. You've had this place fixed up, it's huge, I've never honestly seen you step out of this place to go out there and work so I was wondering." He pauses, looking uncertain to no end, like he's just stepped into something he shouldn't have, "Where is all the money to essentially take care of us coming from?"

His words are so soft, a little afraid. He doesn't want Quentin to believe that he's prying though they've been living together for nearly a year and a half. Money is a personal sort of subject and while Yael has no reason to hide about his income, he cannot help but feel that Quentin keeps his information very much to himself.

To his surprise, Quentin chuckles softly, his head canting to the side. "Is that the question? The question that makes it seem as if you're doing all you can to hide away because you're afraid I might take offence you ask?"

He shakes his head, lips still quirked into a slight smile.

"I admit, the story is a bit unbelievable." He breathes the words, canting his head back to lean to the back of the couch. He closes his eyes, as if trying to remember how an old story really started.

"One of the kind, giving souls I met while I was struggling to get away from Siberia, while I was trying to make my way here to France was an old man. His name was Maurice. He really was old, he lived in a house that was falling apart. I stayed with him longer than I did anyone else while on the move to come here." He pauses and sigh, a sad smile finding his lips.

"He needed more help than I did. I don't know why I felt so comfortable at his side. He died not long before I finally had decided to leave. You know those old stories that some folks are rich but they don't live their lives showing it off? I guess I should have followed his advice but this place is home and I don't care what people think." He knows he's drifting away from the subject and he shakes his head lightly as if to clear the memories.

"When he died, these folks in classy suits all showed up. I mean when he died I call the hospital and told them that he had gone in his sleep and then these folks showed up and things just moved really quickly. Before I knew it, I was standing in front of this guy in this classy little office and he said that Maurice had left me everything. It made no sense to me, I mean why? Because I helped him? He'd told me he didn't have any other family, that what little money—his words that—he had would likely end up going to orphanages and whatnot."

Shaking his head again, Quentin pauses again and Yael moves closer to him. He carefully puts the knitting off to the side and he settles against his lover, head to his shoulder. He knows his presence gives Quentin strength in some strange ways.

"A good chunk of what the old man had, which was a lot, went to an orphanage in the little town. The rest, this suited guy told me, was in an account that I couldn't touch until I was twenty five. Though details are important, he also told me that until then I would receive a monthly amount, enough to get me by. I had a hard time believing it really. Still I had all the bank information they had given me and I went on my way, still not really believing what I had been told."

He rubs his face a moment and shakes his head before he keeps on with his story. How when he reached the next town over he called the number he had been given and made sure to pretty much update his living address as he had been told so they could send the cheque. Not so much with the online banking thing as it happens now just yet. He did get a cheque once a month, an amount that allowed him comfortable enough living though he didn't spend it all. He didn't want to.

By the time he turned twenty five, the man in the suit spoke to him once more, told him he now had unlimited access to the account. Gave him all the necessary information but still Quentin kept on living with the basic of necessities. He didn't want to be 'rich and famous'.

Until, at least, he found the warehouse in need of repairs and then starting living his life a little more comfortably.

  


Their silence is comfortable, there is nothing to make it uncomfortable though now Yael feels somewhat like he is abusing a good thing. He tries to bring in money, it simply isn't easy. Though he knows he doesn't live extravagantly. His needs are simple and he knows they almost spend more on the cats than they do on him, that's how he wants it until he had himself a steady income and money to spare.

He nuzzles Quentin's shoulder gently. They had fallen to silence once the story had been completed and Yael wondered if his lover hadn't fallen into a slight doze. As he nuzzles that shoulder he feels the motion returned lightly to the side of his head. He chuckles softly but sighs and rubs his eyes.

"Do you know where he's buried?" the question is soft and thoughtful. Yael straightens to look up to Quentin, curious as to his answer. The other demon nods, a half-hearted smile to his lips.

"Do you think it would be okay if we visited him one of these days? I know he probably lived far away and we'll have to be out of the house for a day or two but it would give us an excuse to travel a little?"

Thoughtful, Quentin looks out towards the window once more before nodding somewhat. "I guess we could. It's about time I go and thank him for what he's done for me, after all."


	4. Child's Play

"Put it in!"

"I'm trying, it's a really tight fit!"

"You have to make it fit or else it won't work."

"I'm not just going to shove it in, that'll break it!"

"I don't care how you do it, just get it done, I can't hold it anymore!"

There is a lot of grunting and groaning accompanying these words and if one only listened to the words, they might have been lead to confusion. No, all there is to this situation is two men struggling to put something together. Sitting out in their yard, Alexis and Eoghan struggle to put together something that was delivered earlier in the day. It is hard to tell what it is at this point though on the box there is something that looks like it could be a swing set of course. Not the child-kind but the kind most adults might appreciate settling into after a hard day at work.

"You said this was going to be easy! Child's play!"

"It looked easy on the box and the clerk said it would only take about an hour to put it together. These instructions don't make any sense."

There, a deep sigh and the gentle clatter of things as Alexis puts everything down for the time being. He pinches the bridge of his nose and chuckles lightly. "At least, we're trying to work with the instructions. Let's put everything down for a while and look those over. Put everything together for step one, and a pile for step two and the rest, sounds fair?"

Eoghan, managing a chuckle as well though he sighs and looks at the half-mess around them as they had boxes for a while yard set, really, shakes his head. "I guess it's the only way. Why didn't we buy them all ready set up?"

"They didn't offer the service and I thought it would help us bond a little more."

"Because we've not bonded enough over the decades?" Eoghan sounds amused more than anything else and he snickers again. A little laugh is what they were needing at this point, things were beginning to get out of hand.

  


After four long, gruelling hours, the swing is up, the grill is done and most of the table and chairs are out of the way and ready to be used. Both men are worn, not quite ready to pull their hair out yet but it isn't far. Alexis is settled in the swing and Eoghan sitting on the floor, muttering soft obscenities under his breath as he looks the papers over once more. They are done with their work but still these papers call to him.

"There is nothing simple to these explanations. I swear they put them this way to confuse people and make sure to piss them off to no end." His voice is softly childish, he knows he's being a child about everything but he hardly can help himself. This took a lot longer than either one of them had planned. They now have themselves a fair few scrapes and bruises to prove that none of what they've set up was easy.

"Why did we even buy any of this? I'm pretty sure most of our free time will be spent up on the roof near the pool anyway." Still petulant, he pouts up towards his companion and huffs before running his hands through his hair.

Alexis only laughs softly and shakes his head. "Not everyone under this roof knows how to swim, Eoghan. I'm pretty sure Armin will appreciate a place in the shade now and again. The table, chair and grill will be useful when we feel like doing our shared dinner out here. There aren't all that many buggies to bother us and I think it might just be wonderful."

Deflating, Eoghan flops to the ground and stretches with a grunt. "I suppose so. I just wish their explanation on this all would make more sense. None of these images really lead from point A to point B."

"Let it go, love. We're done putting everything up and it looks fine. Come here, see how comfortable this thing is now that it isn't taunting us as we put it together." He chuckles and holds both his arms out. Eoghan huffs again, obviously worn but still miffed and he rolls over, eases to his feet and wanders to the swing. Instead of sitting down on the cushioned seat, of course, he settles on his lover's lap and buries his face in the crook of his neck.

"I feel better already." He grumbles half-heartedly and closes his eyes. He knows it only is exhaustion that pushes him to this childish side of his. He feels as if this patio set as it is what it is in a way, has almost won the battle they were fighting, this is not an emotion he cares much about. It will leave his mind after a couple of days.

  


A couple of hours are spent on the swing, just resting and trying to let the rest of their morning wash on by. Scrapes and bruises are well on their way to being healed so this is hardly an issue anymore.

"What do we do with all the cardboard?" Why everything has to come packaged almost three times in cardboard he cannot understand. Alexis shrugs somewhat, looking over Eoghan's head somewhat at the mass of cardboard just sitting there.

"We could just tear it all apart and set up a bonfire. It wouldn't really be hard and it would be a nice way to actually celebrate the fact that we're done setting everything up and in the end we've done it all." He chuckles and closes his eyes for a few moment. He can still enjoy the quietness of their environment for the time being. Nothing needs to be rushed, after all.

"I guess it's an option. Cardboard burns well usually but I don't know that we have much wood left over from winter heating to use up in there." It was just one of those things though he shook his head, let it be. They still had time to figure it out. If nothing else the cardboard would be all folded down and dropped off front for the next day when they would be picking up the recycling and trash.

"We won this one, Eoghan. Patio furniture zero, crazy folks putting it all together one." He laughs softly and feels Eoghan try not to chuckle against him. This really was just one of those things. There are some days, they are aware, that will be a little more difficult than the others. Even if the difficulty comes from furniture that refuses to be put together.


	5. Small Town

"At times I miss living in smaller places."

"Well, you did grow up in a much smaller town than this one."

"What little time I spent in that town before I moved on to other places. I wouldn't really have called it a town, it was more a village. A dot on a map that no one really knew existed."

"If people didn't know it existed, people wouldn't have been living there, you know?"

"Eoghan, I think at most there was about a hundred people in this town by the time I left it to go live elsewhere."

"I guess that is very few people but it was also very long ago. What about you?"

"I'm not talking about it."

"Best not to ask him about where he grew up, Eoghan, Quentin's younger days were a little rough and on some days we're still trying to get over it all."

"What's this we thing? You guys met up here, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but he's my heart and soul and if he suffers I can't help but suffer along with him."

"Now that is really sweet and look at how he blushes. I didn't think he could blush, he's usually such an asshole towards people he doesn't care about or really know or most mortals in general."

"Am not."

"Oh but you are."

"Not as much as he used to be, it's not nice to tease people, Eoghan, please be nice."

"All right, all right. So Alexis was born in a tiny village of about a hundred people in the middle of nowhere, Quentin won't talk about where he was born-"

"I was born here somewhere in France and I was kidnapped out of my cot and raised in Siberia."

"Yikes, sorry Quentin, I didn't mean to pry."

"I was born in Beauvais a few hours south from here, I spent most of my life in an orphanage until I ran off and came up here. I think I honestly made it around the same time Quentin did."

"You know, I knew we all had something troubling in our past but I didn't know we all might be suffering from parental abandonment issues."

"At times Eoghan I wish you could learn better vocabulary."

"What? I'm just saying it as it is."

  


Conversations like these are not all that uncommon between the friends. At times sensitive subjects are brought up and better ignored but now and again speaking of the past and discussing it as it is can help heal some wounds a little better. Reopen them briefly to get the bad out of them and then finally close them up as they should have been long ago.

Alexis has little memories of his time in the village where he was born. It was more of a settlement of houses all together around a main road with smaller pathways around all of the little houses. He was ten when he and his brother left. Walked for days and tried their best to make their dwindling food supply last until they found another village, somewhat bigger. They only stayed there long enough to beg for food before they were on their way again. They kept on walking until they found a bigger village, a small little town and found almost family there to welcome them in.

Eoghan on his end of the story partly grew up in the realms, when he was old enough to open the doorways on his own, he did, stepped out to wander out in the human world for a few hours but he never managed to go back, at least not before a hundred or so of his years had gone back and his control over the opening and closing of the portal had grown strong enough. By then, the realm had more or less been abandoned and he never was able to know whether or not they had looked for him. He still believes to this day that they did not. His mother had wanted a little girl. Every woman in his family had wanted girls, he had been one boy in a long line of girls.

Quentin's past is something he prefers to not dwell on. How he knows or believes that he was taken from his cot is something he does not discuss though instincts are strong, especially in a weaver demon. Some believe that weavers will always know exactly where their roots are, who their parents will be if they know how to look for them. Quentin simply knows that his parents are, or maybe were, somewhere here, in France. It is why he kept on going, walking from one place to the other until he came to Dunkerque and settled. It wasn't home but it wasn't far, it was all he wanted.

Yael, like Quentin, has no idea as to who his parents might be. He was dropped off, the corny enough version, in an orphanage before he was old enough to even know the difference between night and day. The nuns he grew up with said he was found on the steps when he looked to barely be just a few days old. He stayed in the orphanage with the others until he was about twelve, maybe thirteen. It is the death of the only friend he had ever made, Sterling, who pushed him to running away, out of Beauvais and towards Dunkerque. To this day he has no idea why he picked that city but he's glad he did.

  


"Well, this place has a lot of folks in it but it is quiet here on the outskirts so I can't complain."

"Why did you even move here in the first place?"

"I don't honestly know, I felt some sort of pull. Like I needed to be here and I'm glad I did. I wouldn't have met Quentin if I hadn't and through him now I've met Yael and he's adorably wonderful."

"You're just trying to make me blush and it won't work, Eoghan."

"Well, I think it's working because your cheeks have this adorably rosy colour to them."

"Aside the point! Let's not forget Agni, Mira and Zora, they're nice and I honestly really like them. They're like us. It makes me realize that we're not all alone in the world. I thought I was the only one who could have felt as different as I did when I grew up. Until I met Quentin, honestly."

"There's Armin too. He's not completely like us but he's a bit like us. I don't know how long he'll stay with us in the long run but I want to cherish this friendship. I want to cherish every little friendship I have in this group of ours."

"Who knows, over time, others might come, I mean you have room for at least seven other people in this place and the apartment are still spacious as can be."

"Could have been six apartments a floor really and it still would have been really spacious but I figured that four a floor was enough. I'm going to miss this place when we have to go. Not any time soon of course but you know."

"I'm going to miss the garden. I've worked really hard to get it to where it is now."

"And it is absolutely gorgeous, it will be a shame to leave it behind. We might manage to transplant some though, or maybe, and I'm saying this with a big maybe, we might be able to move it, box by box. I think the whole setup is separated in boxes, right?"

"Yeah, that's how Quentin had it set up. Everything is in boxes, some are slighter, others are bigger but I guess, depending how it works for you to open that doorway, it might be easier to do box by box instead of trying to move the whole building as a whole."

"We still have time, I'm sure we'll figure things out. For now we can enjoy the peace and quiet of living on the edge of a not so small town."


	6. Authority Figure

Under the dim glow of the city lights, in an alleyway not far from two warehouses that have been put back together to use as housing instead of working units, there is a scuffle going on. Two slight boys, one with black and red hair, the other with blue and black hair, are struggling to get away from a group of young men who seem to be on the lookout for trouble. The two slight boys know that they can mostly handle themselves though they have been told that they should never use their gifts unless the situation is dire, it seems dire enough.

Just as Agni is preparing to use his fire to at least try to scare these men off, not wanting to hurt them more than he really has to, a tall figure steps into the alleyway. At first it seems as if not a soul from the group of men notice, they still beat on the two teenagers though suddenly one begins to scream, his hands are over his ears and he's screaming bloody murder. This seems to distract the rest of their little gang, enough for the twins to run off towards the other end of the alleyway. They have no idea who this tall shadow is and have no desire to be in trouble for any reason at all.

At the end of the alleyway, they run into another tall man, this one very familiar to them and Mira latches onto Alexis's arm for all he's worth. The men at the other end are still screaming and even Agni reaches for Alexis, seeking the comfort of the man's presence, away from whatever is going on at the other end of the darkness.

Silence falls for a moment before the echo of footsteps come, the sound of bodies falling over trashcans and stumbling to get back up and around to run away.

"No reason to be scared now though you two aren't supposed to be out this late at night, what were you thinking?" Alexis's voice holds a no-nonsense tone. It calls for respect. Agni still is quiet but Mira's whimpered sniffling seems to finally quiet. He stiffens however as the tall shadow begins walking towards them.

"They won't remember what happened here tonight, they'll mostly have very badly pounding headaches and won't know why." Eoghan's voice accompanies the shadow and Mira sags, dropping to the ground as he releases his hold on Alexis's arm.

"Mira!" Agni, worried sick about his brother, releases his hold on the elder demon and crouches next to his brother. There is some blood on them but it is minimal.

"You two need to learn to respect your elders though. I'm not saying this because I want to rant away at both of you but there's a reason why your sister asks you to never be out after a certain hour. This place is dangerous." Eoghan's tone is gentle, Alexis looks down to the twins and shakes his head with a sigh.

"We need to head back inside before cops show up. The idiots were screaming bloody murder and I bet someone heard them and called the cops."

"Sorry Lex."

"You were just protecting the kids. Their lecture on safety can wait until we're back inside, you get Agni to go along, I'll carry Mira, I think he's in shock."

It takes some cajoling to get Agni to move, to release his brother enough. Eoghan walks him along the back of the building, knowing he can cut through Yael and Eoghan's yard to get to their own. It's easier to keep unseen by staying out of the light and he knows this place well enough to head anywhere out in the dark.

Alexis is a few yards behind them when they step up to their own building, rounding back up to the front to get to the doors there since the back ones are locked at this point. Mira is quiet in Alexis's arms, sniffling softly with every breath though he seems to be done with crying for the time being.

  


Once in the lit hallway of the building, they head towards the elevator. Eoghan reaches out with his mind to let Zora know that they have found her brothers but that they need to have a talk to them about the safety of being outside at night and need to check them for anything that might require attention. He however makes sure to calm her by telling her that the worst of it might be a cut or two that will heal after a few hours.

In their living room, Alexis settles Mira down on the couch next to a somewhat confused Agni. Mira turns and huddles tightly against his brother who mechanically curls his arm around him. He looks up at Eoghan steps back up to them with a small white box, a red cross on it. He stares blankly before closing his eyes with a sigh.

"Where were you guys thinking you were going when you stepped out earlier? Zora was worried sick. She called us to check in to see if you boys were with us. We could have lied, told her that was the case but I don't think you two would have understood how much she worried if we had. So we told her the truth."

He reaches out, checks them slowly over, putting a bit of ointment on cuts and scrapes.

"I don't know." Mira's words are meek, confused and Eoghan frowns. He reaches out, puts his fingers beneath Mira's chin to turn his gaze to face him.

"What do you mean you don't know?" He tries to keep his voice smooth and gentle but there is an undertone of urgency in his words.

That urgency all on its own seems to bring Mira to tears all over again, he begins to sob into his hands and Agni curls his slightly aching arms around his brother, offering his shoulder. "I don't know! There was something calling to us out there!"

"All right, it's all right. You're both safe and sound for now. Just calm down." Sighing, Eoghan moves away from them and towards his lover who had been standing in another room, giving them time.

"I hate to ask you for this, I know it's a bit wearing for you but if they say something called them out there, maybe their minds are vulnerable. That worries me to no end, would it be a possibility to have bracelets for them until I find the source? I know at least it's not as exhausting as protecting the whole building, I know that one will wear you out to no end."

Alexis nods lightly, fingers brushing his lover's cheek lightly. "I'll see about getting them a couple of bracelets made. We both know it's possible that there are others like you out there in this city. The chances are slim but not impossible. We'll keep them safe."

"Lex, they could have been hurt in a really bad way, they could have been raped!" His voice is low but filled to the brim with worries and he shakes his head. The thought disturbs him to no end. He knows it happened to Mira before. He couldn't live with himself if it happened again while the youth was under his roof and essentially his protection.

"I'll find whoever tried to get them hurt and I'll make him pay."


	7. I Saw It in the Sky

I suppose I've never really looked to the sky much while we were growing up. While Zora moved us from place to place, doing all she could to keep her safe. It mostly worked, until we landed at that man's place. I didn't like him from the start but Zora told me it was my childish, young mind. That I wasn't used to people but that he was good, he was offering us a roof. 

I didn't like him and he broke the trust Zora had put in him by doing unmentionable things to Mira. Thinking back on those faded memories makes my blood boil, it makes me want to find that man and burn him alive from the inside. I know part of this is my temper and I don't really care. He deserves to be hurt for what he's done. There's no saying if he hasn't molested other children since Mira. It makes me sick.

Mira doesn't seem to remember much from that time. I don't blame him, I wouldn't want to remember it at all if it had happened to me. Though he could just be hiding it really well. I don't know. I love my brother, he's the only one I have, he's the other half of my soul and I want to keep him safe as best as I can.

  


The other day, we had been just lounging on the roof of the building, listening to the workers just a few feet away from us, working under the glass sort of dome that keeps the pool safe from the weather. Eoghan says it's a soul-ah-ree-um. I don't know what that word means.

We were staring up at the sky, watching the clouds go by, appreciating the warm breeze when we saw a little spot go by, up in the distance. Both of us just stared, we sat up, then stood up and watched it seem to float away to then disappear into the clouds. I didn't know what to think and by the look on Mira's face he really didn't know what he had seen either. We ran off, we rounded the protected pool area and its workers and we were down onto the third floor within moments.

At first I thought about banging on Alexis's and Eoghan's door but there was a sign. Mira said it said to not disturb unless in case of emergency. I still don't read French as well as he does, it's really hard.

We stood there for longer than I thought I could handle, my heart beating wildly in my chest while we both silently wondered who we could ask. What if whatever that thing had been was dangerous? What if it came back?

Finally we took the stairs, almost two at a time and we barged into our apartment but then we came to a stop and stared. Zora was at work. It had slipped my mind and by the looks of things it had slipped Mira's mind too. Now we stood there, staring at one another, eyes wide, worried and uncertain and we didn't know what to do.

Times and again we were told to not bother Armin. We had seen him a few times but not enough to really know him. Still, at that very point in time I was sure that the world was about to end, that whatever had been in the sky was out to destroy us. I didn't even know if he would be home. I knew he worked too, he was out of the house early in the mornings and tended to by back either late at night though lately it had been closer to mid-afternoon. 

It was mid afternoon, right? It had to be, or maybe closer to noon, it had been worth a shot. We tried to calm down, to breathe. We took the stairs slowly that time, not wanting to rush, not wanting anyone to feel as if we were about to bowl them over. We just had to make sure that the world wasn't ending.

When we stepped to his door, we knocked. Just twice and then we waited. We were shifting left and right on our feet, unable to really keep still though we were quiet, listening. After a few moments we heard the soft sound of slightly shuffled footfalls. When Armin first moved into the apartment, Eoghan told us two things. One, never talk about our gifts around him as he was like us but not like us and two, never talk about the way he walks.

I didn't understand at first. When I saw him, it dawned on me but all I felt towards him was curiosity. That really was it, I wanted to know more about this strange but kind man. At least I thought he was kind for all the few times I'd ever met him.

He came to the door and blinked at us. I suppose I cannot blame his surprise, we've never been here this way before. He canted his head to the side, studied us for a moment and then he stepped aside, letting us in. Carefully we stepped into his apartment but we stayed near the door, together. We let him take us back to wherever he would let us sit.

  


Finally settled in the living room, both with a glass of water after he'd mentioned something about how we looked like we were about to drop—I'm not sure what he meant—he finally sat down with us and asked us what this visit was about.

We looked at one another a moment, trying hard not to both just start talking at once. It was just one of those things Zora taught us well, we don't get anywhere if we're both blabbering at once. Mira nodded at me and I sighed. I looked out the window to our right and Armin followed my gaze a moment.

"We saw something in the sky. It was just floating away! The world could be ending!" My words come out in a soft rush, accent as thick as ever and he looks confused. For one moment I was afraid he didn't understand what I had just said but he cants his head, stands and slowly walks towards the book shelves that were right behind him. 

"Tell me what whatever it was looked like?" There was nothing in his voice that could have made me believe he didn't believe what I had just told him. I closed my eyes, trying to remember what I had seen but Mira beat me to the answer. "Like a bird. Just, the wings not moving. It made a sound, it's hard to explain."

Armin nodded then, plucked one particular book from his shelves and slowly came back towards us. He set the book down on the low table and pushed it our way. On the cover, the word P-L-A-N-E-S was written. I tried to sound it out in my mind but it didn't make much sense.

He smiled at us, a warm, almost older-brotherly sort of smile and he opened the book, started telling us about these things that did look a lot like what we had seen in the sky just minutes ago. He was so calm as he explained to us that these things, they're planes, they take people up in their bellies and they can fly them to anywhere in the world. That they were safe and that the world wasn't about to end.

"Not dangerous?"

"Not at all. They're safe as can be."

"Can we borrow the book?" Mira's voice was quietly curious but genuinely sincere in wanting to borrow the book.

Armin chuckled softly and closed the book before holding it out to us. Mira took it, holding it to his chest as if it were the most precious thing in the world. "Sorry to bother you."

"It wasn't a bother, I'd seen you both at the other apartment before Eoghan let me move here, I'm glad I got to speak to you both a little. Bring back the book whenever you're done with it and I don't mind letting you borrow other books if you want to learn more." He didn't have any questions as to why we didn't know about planes, as to why we were so curious and seemed to be learning everything as it came. It was a bit of a relief, it was nice.

We excused ourselves, made our way back to his door and then we were back up in our apartment, in Mira's room to study the book a little more. Planes. Such strange things.


	8. Busy People

"I hate having to call these guys!" He hisses the words, the phone still to his ear as he paces left and right in the living room. Sitting on the couch, just watching him, amusement clear as day in his eyes, Alexis relaxes slightly. Pacing Eoghans are one of the world's more amusing sides. Though he knows he shouldn't be amused because his companion is having a hard time reaching their television company, he hardly can help himself. He loathes making these calls as much as Eoghan does, they're always put on hold with the annoyingly chipper waiting music.

"People are busy, love. Little ants that scurry left and right. We should just drop the satellite and register for one of these online streaming companies where you can pretty much watch what you want when you want. They have online customer support."

Rolling his eyes, Eoghan sighs and shakes his head. "When the internet drops, though it's rare, it means no television."

"Eoghan, when the weather is poor outside the signal for the satellite becomes weak and we don't get anything on the screen either. I'm pretty sure we've had less internet drops than we've had satellite drops." He's not trying to change anyone's mind, he merely is stating facts at this point. He had had himself an account with a streaming type company back in the states and it had worked absolute wonders, he knew the pros and cons of the idea.

After a few more minutes of pacing, Eoghan's eyes finally light up and he walks to the window to stare out as he begins to explain the issue to whoever he had been transferred to. This is something else Alexis hates as much as anyone with any sanity left to them. 'Oh we're sorry, this is a case for such and such department, here let me transfer you.' And then when they're transferred it's another case of 'I'm sorry but we can't help you with that, I'll transfer you back to such and such and hopefully they'll find out what the issue is.'

  


Their television still is not receiving any signal. The support center claims that the weather is blocking the satellite from doing its job. Eoghan takes one long look outside to the perfectly clear blue sky. He can even see the moon out there. "So much bullshit. They'll try to rip us off if we cancel our plan though, you know?"

"It's not like we can't afford it and I can be the one to argue with them about this. I've done it before and it's honestly easier to argue with these people than to try to convince a jury that this one particular guy who looks like he could kill us all is innocent and sweet as can be." His words are quietly amused, he shakes his head and brings out the laptop, sitting it on the low table in their living room.

"I'm pretty sure the monthly fee for this streaming service is going to be less than what we're paying now anyway. We'll get to pick and watch the shows we want when we do watch them, no more waiting and checking the schedule to make sure we're not missing out on something, sounds good?"

"Hey, you're the one with the experience here so you decide. I'm just sick of having to deal with the incompetents who can't even come around to fix what is most likely a poor wiring job done last time they were around to fix the issue after the rodents chewed their way through the lines."

  


There is indeed an outrageous fee to pay with the disconnecting of their old television service, poor as it turned out to be. Alexis spends the next two hours arguing, albeit to most it would just be talking, really, with the poor sap on the other end of the line. Eoghan is aware that his lover has been transferred up and again a few times. He figures that there isn't really anyone else he can be transferred to else someone wants him to speak directly to the big boss. Somehow he doubts that's even possible in this day and age.

They have their minds now set on a particular online company that allows for direct streaming to the television. They can even watch it on their laptop and their phones if they feel like it but they both know it will be kept to the television. The installation will be quickly done and since their internet connection is set up through the new 'fibre' system, disconnections really should be rare, only when work needs done to fix an issue. The fibre system is underground, weather has no control over it and it is securely buried so rodents really have no chewing to do either. It has been a good service for the time they have had it to this point.

Finally off the phone, Alexis flops down with little grace onto their couch. He mutters and rubs his eyes before he reaches out to put the phone on the nearest flat surface he can find. "There still is a fee, but it's now essentially down to the couple of months we had left on our contract this year before it was renewed. I told them we would be packing up whatever equipment we had of theirs and eventually shipping it back to them. It's a good thing I kept track of all the times the service flunked."

"How about some dessert to make it up to you for having to deal with these idiots?" Eoghan's voice is low, smooth and he's grinning as he crouches lightly next to his partner. Alexis lifts one arm away from his eyes, his brow quirked and he chuckles softly, his head shaken lightly.

"You've had to deal with them too, remember?"

"Not half as long as you but I guess that means we both deserve dessert. Let's move this to where dessert can be had without fear of falling off places, yes?"

"To the bedroom it is." Without warning, Alexis moves to his feet and sweeps Eoghan off his own before he's walking towards their bedroom. The door clicking shut before Eoghan is eased to the bed.

  


"So now we're free from the evil grasp of the satellite folks, we've had ourselves some more than relaxing time together to forget all about them. Now though I find myself feeling a little bit nibbly. I could have more dessert but I think we should eat something a bit more substantial, what do you say?" Settled in bed, Eoghan nestled comfortably against Alexis, his chin gently resting on a shoulder as he relaxes, more peaceful now than he had been upon waking up and realizing he had to call the satellite company.

"Sounds like a plan. We can have ourselves some real food and then come back for seconds of sugar-helping." Alexis laughs softly and sits up, Eoghan moving to follow his motions. It will take them some time to get out of bed, slip on something over their bared selves but there is no one waiting for them out there today and they have all the time in the world. 

The day had poorly started but now it was turning out to be just another one of those days where all that was needed was a small extra bit of love to make it all better.


	9. Waterfall

As the worker at last steps away from the bathroom and to the door to let himself out, the two young men who have been watching from a few paces off finally step into the room. They both are silent, looking at their new shower with uncertainty. They aren't sure if it has been a good idea to have the old shower replaced or not but it is now done and there really is no going back without a lot of hassle.

"What if it is complete crap?"

"We can't know how it works unless we try it out. Eoghan made it pretty clear that this was the best thing around. It has so many functions to try out we'd run the heater out of hot water if we were in your old apartment. At least that's what he said."

"But what if it's unnecessarily complicated?"

"Quentin, if we don't like it, in the long run, we'll just use mine. I think this is going to be worth checking out and I think it's going to be wonderful. I've always wondered what it would be like to be able to have a steam shower, or a rain shower or a waterfall one." Yael's voice still calm and smooth as he offers what might be the last word of their conversation about their uncertainties concerning this new shower.

He walks out of the bathroom, off to the front of the house where he locks the door out of habit more than anything else. Once he's done, he looks around briefly, a content smile to his lips as the way his life is going is pleasing to him. He knows he couldn't be happier.

He stretches and walks back out to their shared and now renovated bathroom. It had only taken a few hours. He stops in the doorway and looks over the bathroom as a whole. It doesn't look any different. There isn't any extra dust anywhere. The only difference he finds is when he looks at the large shower. Big enough to accommodate two. This is one of the reasons why he actually wanted this new shower. That and the idea of so many different ways to shower was a marvel to him.

"Come on, Quentin, I think this is going to be a time for discovery and there is absolutely no better time for discovery than the present!"

  


Laughing as the water falls over their heads in a warm rain, Yael closes his eyes and cants his head back. He had to try to convince Quentin of joining him in the shower for at least an hour before he had finally decided to shed his clothes and step in.

Quentin is quiet under the shower, though Yael hardly worries, the glimpse he had of his lover before he closed his eyes showed him a man who was trying to wrap his mind around how it was possible at all to have rain indoor. This was a new development and Yael loved every bit of it.

He lets out a startled laugh when arms curl about him. He opens his eyes and cants his head lightly to look at Quentin, standing behind him, his arms secure about Yael's waist and his head against the back of a shoulder. Yael breathes another sigh and relaxes. This is a good thing really.

"Let's try out the other functions." They are clearly marked out just above each control mechanism and Yael finds himself glad for that. One of Quentin's arguments about not stepping into the shower had been that things would be complicated and that they wouldn't know what they were in for. The digital panel made it all perfectly simple.

Turning to the control panel, Yael studies it for a moment before he changes the fall of the water from rain to waterfall. He gasps in surprise when the near instant change takes place and he finds both himself and Quentin under a waterfall. He laughs and once more closes his eyes, his lips curling into a pleased smile as he can hear Quentin chuckle softly beside him. He knows this change in their lives is going to take some getting used to but it's a good sort of getting used to.

  


They spend a little more than an hour in the shower, experimenting with the different ways the water can shower over them and then settling back on either side of the shower area for a bit of a steam experience. This is absolutely new for the both of them and Yael is pleased as can be when Quentin talks about how much he is looking forward to their next shared shower. Colour of course finds Yael's cheeks as he knows that desire is only half for the shower, half for the exploration they allowed themselves to have.

Standing in the warm bathroom, each lightly scrubbing their hair to a comfortable level of dryness, they stay quiet, simply thinking back on their last hour and on how thankful they are for their new shower. It is such a mundane thing for most, a change of shower but for them this is a new experience, a new step into life and understanding just what it is about it all that makes it worth living.

"Still think it is evil incarnate and we'll have to use my bathroom?" Yael's voice finally breaks the silence, his words are quietly amused as he rubs himself dry then runs the towel through his hair one last time to make sure it is as dry as he can get it at this point.

"Well, it doesn't beat the quiet moments we have using the pool but it is pretty nice. I feel relaxed and peaceful and some of the aches I had are gone, my nose is clear and so on." He laughs softly and hangs his towel to dry.

Yael chuckles and shakes his head. "This and the pool are two completely different things, Quentin and we both know this. Apples and oranges, blueberries and raisins and so on."

Sticking his tongue out, Quentin snickers but steps to his lover, hugging him close for several moments. He still has a hard time believing he can have these moments with Yael. He never thought the somewhat younger demon would ever return those feeling he feels so strongly anchored in him.

Of course, in Yael's mind, much the same is going on though he knows he is the lucky one. His life experience had let him learn about more things, had allowed him to discover a wider range of emotions, he had fallen for Quentin almost from the moment they had met, it had been a waiting and discovering game after that. One day following the other.

"I don't know about you but I think all this steam and relaxation and exercise," he blushes at that last word, "has worn me to bits. I could do with a bit of rest."

Quentin nods at those words, as if they are the wisest words in the world and he releases Yael albeit not completely. He curls his fingers about the other's own and together they step out of the bathroom and into the bedroom where the sheets are pulled back slightly. Both settle on their sides, the sheets are pulled up and Yael moves to curl against Quentin's side, nestling his head against that shoulder before he closes his eyes to Quentin curling his arm about his waist.

Life is precious, he knows. He appreciates every single day to the best of his ability.


	10. Under the Tree

On the first floor of a newly renovated warehouse, a single apartment out of four is in use. Its inhabitant is so quiet however that upon walking the hallway with its well spaced doors, one could almost believe that there is not a single soul within the walls of that first, ever so quiet floor though it isn't quite so.

Armin Everhart, half-demon though this is something he isn't aware of, is sitting near his back door. He had been given a choice of which apartment he wanted and quietly had requested the one with the view to the backyard if at all possible. It was what he was given. Armin believes he has a gift, this is true enough. This gift is born of demonhood, more than likely from his real father. This is something his mother does not discuss as she does not know. A story for another time, explaining how his real father implanted an image of the woman's husband into her mind as he took her and filled her belly with a child.

His head leaning against the glass pane of the door leading to the backyard, Armin seems to be contemplating the past. He stares out in the distance, looking towards one of the bigger trees that remains standing before he closes his eyes and breathes out a sigh. He lifts one hand, resting it gently against the glass, as if it might speak to him, answer his own unspoken thoughts.

  
__

"What are we doing here?" Armin's voice was quiet, a little confused, the terrain they were on was a little rough to travel for him though it wasn't so bad. At times he felt like Andoni forgot about his disability, about his issues and how he couldn't get around on terrain like this easily. The man standing besides him shook his head and smiled down at him, Armin felt his heart flutter sharply and merely went quiet.

He has only known Andoni for a few weeks, they met up by accident really. They had bumped into one another while Armin had been putting books back where they belonged. Armin had expected jeers and sneers but the man had helped him up, apologized as he had not been looking where he'd been going, and so absolutely to Armin's surprise, he had been asked if they could go out for coffee.

Things had somewhat progressed from there, Armin never making the first move, as if terrified that it would break this strange sort of spell that had fallen over him. How anyone could look at him with any sort of affection was confusing to him.

  


"We're almost there, I'm sorry about the terrain, I thought it would be a little smoother by now." Armin had merely nodded at the words, feeling a bit of an ache in his bad leg. So long as he wasn't left here on his own, it was all that really mattered to him.

Once at the top of the little hill, he came upon a setup. A blanket settled against and under a large tree, the beauty of nature down below on the other side of the hill and a small picnic basket set out. He had laughed softly and shaken his head as he'd settled down with a little bit of help from Andoni.

"At first I honestly wanted to carry you up the hill, when I realized how bad the trail was but then I told myself that you might think I wanted us to get around faster and I didn't trust your ability to get around well enough on your own." He paused, smiling down at Armin who returned his smile. His heart still was beating a mile a minute. Was this a date? He had never even imagined he would get this kind of outing in his life.

"So this is sort of it. I did bring you out here to ask you something though." Armin's heart sped up again, this time in discomfort. That was it, the guy was going to tell him he had made a mistake all those weeks ago and he didn't want to spend any time at all with him anymore. At least he'd had the decency of telling him about it instead of simply vanishing off of the face of the earth.

"Armin?" Those startled, slightly moist eyes turned to the voice as it uttered his name. His smile was shaky and he apologized. Andoni blinked and frowned. He shook his head and reached out, wiping the wetness away from Armin's eyes and cheeks with a tenderness that had never been bestowed upon him before.

"I don't know what's going on through your mind but I didn't bring you here to do anything horrible to you, no." There he paused and moved closer, so close Armin had to close his eyes and then there had been lips on his. That alone had taken his breath away. It hadn't stopped the tears from coming, however. "I was hoping you would agree to go out with me. I know we don't know one another all that much but there's just something about you that pulls me to you. I really want to get to know you better and I think we could work out to the end of forever."

  


Armin leans away from the window, wiping the wetness away from his eyes once more. His hands aren't as tender as he remembers his lover's own to have been when he had wiped those tears away all those years ago.

"My first kiss, under a tree on a beautiful day of spring, with a picnic that tasted like heaven and I was in a new place. I learned to better accept myself, it's all thanks to you. I never would have become who I am if not for you. I know the chance is minimal, most people wouldn't even notice but I know you noticed the change as the years drifted by. I miss you so much."

As if to answer his words though Armin though it is nothing but his imagination, the tree's limbs and leaves rustle gently in the wind. "I know I said goodbye, I'm moving on, I promise but there's a part of you that will stay with me forever. In one of those little boxes Eoghan taught me to put in my head. That way I know that when I really need a pick me up, I can look into the box and I can think back about all you've taught me. You made me so much stronger."

It doesn't feel wrong to be talking to himself. He really sees no harm whatsoever in the action. So used to being by himself as it is, Armin knows that talking to himself helps him keep his sanity within reach. Loneliness is a demon he knows very well and one that has often threatened him more harm than anyone else ever to this very days. He does it best to keep it away just as he keeps his sanity as close as he can.

"I might never have another kiss ever in my life but I think I can live with that. I can still remember how your lips felt on mine and that just makes it all worth it. I was kissed, I was loved, I was cherished. I know I'm not all hideous and malformed but I also know that most people won't look my way twice, I can live with that. I think this tree is where I'll plant all of our memories, that's a good place to let them be. Grow up surrounded by warmth and earth, nature, sun and all the rest. You'll like it there."

Chuckling softly, he pushes himself slowly to stand. He finds his crutch and slips it on so he can head towards his bedroom to find something a little warmer to wear. He has some digging to do, something to bury in the roots of the ever growing tree and he knows that this is where he is meant to put it.


	11. New Furniture

There are boxes piled everywhere. Left, right and—well everywhere, really. Armin looks at it all with quiet unsettlement. He's not sure what to make of it all. He stares at Eoghan who is surveying the delivery men. Armin can barely get around to look at it all, there are so many boxes that most of his regular pathways are blocked.

"Eoghan, what is this?" He finally asks when the man signs something one of the workers is holding out to him and they leave.

"I know that if I had told you about it, you wouldn't have agreed to any of it. Part of moving forward and moving on is to leave behind the past. I thought it was about time you had some new furniture in your life."

Gaping, Armin stares at the taller man for a long moment, trying to wrap his mind around what he was just told. "So you just bought me brand new furniture?"

"Something like that."

"Eoghan, are you insane? I'll never be able to repay you for any of that!"

Smiling softly, Eoghan crosses the room easily and stops in front of the slighter man. He reaches out, his fingers brushing the man's cheek gently. A touch that always sends slight shivers down Armin's spine. Someone touching him so tenderly is still so new, so fresh after the loss of Andoni. "This is going to fall into the category of my making it up to you for throwing your life habits to hell when I woke up that gift in you."

Armin stares up at Eoghan for a long time, as if trying to read whatever it was the other man was hiding from him. The 'price' for awakening his gift had essentially been paid back. Pretty much when he had been invited to live in this very apartment.

"I wish you wouldn't keep things from me, Eoghan. I trust you with all my heart, I don't really want to learn that somehow my trust was misused, I couldn't handle it." His voice is soft, low. He closes his eyes a moment and shivers again when Eoghan's finger brush over his cheek. He blinks at the man's chuckle and straightens slightly.

"Okay, you've got me. But first, let's open up these boxes, I'll put most of them up myself with just a little bit of your help, since I ordered it all. Then I'll tell you why, sounds good?"

Armin nods and smiles faintly. Again he looks at the boxes and he shakes his head. He has a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact that someone would go through all this trouble for him. "How did you pick anything? What if I don't like what you picked? Not that I'm picky, I'll use it anyway but it's just one of those questions."

Chuckling as he works on opening the first box, Eoghan looks around the still mostly bare apartment. The bed and a dresser in the bedroom, a two-person table in the kitchen and a couch and seater in the living room. The most expensive part of the man's apartment was his shelves of books, filled to the brim. "I know you like books and I know you like your life as simple as possible. So I tried to figure out the best of ways to keep things simple. A bit vintage-like but also a bit minimalist if I could find it."

  


Over the course of the next several hours, boxes are opened, flattened and put away. Armin's old mattress and box frame are set out to be picked up by a group working for a thrift store, along with most of the old furniture being replaced. Where there was no bed frame before, now a simple but lovely antique-looking wooden bed frame. Between the head posts, an intricate maze of metal work. A new box frame, a new comfortable mattress, a new beside table and new dressers.

In his kitchen he find a brand new, though it looks old and worn—he loves it—table that can sit at least four. More than he could ever sit before. His couch, Eoghan proclaimed, was good enough to stay but the seater was falling apart and replaced by a new one that would better support his back after those long days at work.

A brand new desk to read at and do his work in the room he turned into his little work area, a chair more comfortable than he ever has had the chance to know and simply a world of things he never could have imagined as being his. All of them he fell in love with at first sight.

  


When all the boxes are flattened and put away, his old furniture actually set out in the apartment across the hall for easy pickup by the working crew who would be coming in the next few days, Armin sits on his old couch. There is a couple of cups of tea sitting on the brand new (but oh so old looking!) table and he was waiting, staring at Eoghan. The man had promised him answers as to the reason behind all these new things once they had been done.

Eoghan fidgets slightly, he runs a hand through his hair and sighs. He looks out into nothing for a long moment and looks back to Armin when the man clears his throat gently.

"Do you think that it's possible for demons to exist? I don't mean the folks who can be mean and evil, I mean demons, different blood type, live longer than most, heal faster, that kind of thing?" His words are low, uncertain and Armin quirks a brow. He stares for a long moment and cants his head. His lips quirk just lightly, gently, as if he had been expecting that question.

"I don't know. Eoghan. That's a bit like asking if I believe in lizard people-"

"They're a myth."

Armin blinks once more and stares at him. He sighs, rubs the bridge of his nose slightly. He leans back into the couch before he looks around the bit of the apartment he could see from his spot. All he could see what antique furniture (brand new!) that he could never afford and he still couldn't understand why.

"I guess I can. Just tell me why, please?"

Taking a deep breath, Eoghan starts to explain the basic of demonhood. Mostly keeping his information to the longer lifespans, the gifts, the way it is handed down and how most people who are gifted in some way are likely to have some demon blood in them. It has been that way since the beginning of time though it usually is a more than well kept secret.

Once he's done explaining, he looks towards the slighter man, almost afraid of what he might see in those eyes but there is nothing there, nothing more than a hint of curiosity. In those eyes he mostly sees thoughtfulness as the information he has just uttered is being processed.

"Long story short," Armin pauses, his gaze on the other man. There is no smile on his face and it worries the demon. "If I were to believe in the possibility of demons, which I suppose is there since there is a possibility of fae-folks and dryads and the rest, then I might be part demon? Both my parents were- no, are. They both are mortal humans. I don't think they would have hidden this from me. So it must come from my grandparents?"

"To be completely honest, Armin, that's information I don't have. I could try to dig through your head to try to find out but it could be unpleasant. Some memories from even before you were born are usually imprinted into your brain, it's how most of our gift comes from. I know this might be a lot to take in and a lot to accept." He sighs and rubs his eyes. He looks like a man whose whole world has taken a dip to the side and is about to be destroyed.

"You don't have to believe me but I wanted to be honest with you. I was tired of hiding that kind of truth from you. For now I think I'm going to let you try to wrap your mind about what I've told you. Whenever you want to or feel like talking to me about it all, I'm upstairs. I'll tell you more then, all right? A little at a time."

"All right. A little more every time we talk, that sounds good." Armin doesn't get up to show his friend to the door. Eoghan knows the way well and he knows that Armin needs time alone to wrap his mind around the information he was just given.


	12. A Cat Walks Past

"Quentin?" Lazing, half-flopped on the bed as he stares off into mostly nothing though that is partly a lie, he stares as the somewhat bigger of the two cats they own, Areli, wanders off, dragging something in its jaws.

"Yeah?" Just as comfortably settled as his lover, Quentin rolls over slowly with a yawn. Today has been nothing but a laze about day.

"Areli is wandering off with your underwear." There is clear amusement in Yael's voice as he watches the feline finally sprint out of the room. He laughs and shakes his head.

"My what now? Honestly, I wish Eoghan had never taught them to play fetch!" He hardly sounds annoyed, his voice is closer to tired quietness. He doesn't even try to stop the cat from taking off with the underwear.

Their lazing about is well deserved, the past almost forty-eight hours have been spent clearing out the back yard after the winter and cleaning out old plants from the second and third floor garden of the home. It has been rough and exhausting work but it was necessary and it made them exercise and work muscles that hadn't had that kind of workout in several months.

Silence falls over them again. Yael still looking at the door where Areli has run off to, Quentin with his eyes closed, half-settled against his lover, his breathing is steady and calm but he's not quite asleep, merely exhausted in a physical sort of way. "Quentin?" Yael snickers this time and he shakes his head as he carefully pushes himself away from the bed with a grunt. His muscles ache from the rough exercise but he knows he needs to see to the garden pruning more often. Letting things grow almost wild isn't the way to go about things.

"Yeah?" A soft grumble from Quentin as his almost-pillow moves away from him. He flops utterly to the bed and yawns before slowly, carefully stretching.

"Lavi just took off with one of your shirts."

"What?"

  


It takes Quentin almost fifteen minutes before he's on his feet and actually wearing more than just some of his boxer-shorts. He aches in ways he can only recall as having felt when he had been escaping from Siberia and finding his way to France where he more than contentedly lived now.

"I've noticed them taking bits of clothing from our room every few minutes or so for the past couple of hours." Yael, patiently waiting on his lover to be up and about. A few minutes in the steam shower after they find out the reason behind the stealing of the clothes sounds like a wonderful idea. He keeps it to himself for now, knowing Quentin would more than likely opt for the shower first and mystery after.

"That makes no sense, why would they take off with our clothes? It's new behaviour and we haven't done anything lately to stress them out in any way." Following his instinct more than anything else, Quentin wanders off towards the cats's own room, where their toys, food, letterbox and the rest is. It is where they spend the vast majority of their time when they're not playing out and about.

Yael follows him quietly, rubbing his shoulder and wondering if he somehow hasn't pulled a muscle while they were doing the clearing out. His shoulder aches worse than the rest of him.

They step into the play room, look about for a moment and then head towards the corner where the clothes are set up in something of a pile. Quentin stops short when he hears a quiet little meow that is too soft and quiet to be either Areli or Lavi. Yael moves forward until he can kneel by the piled clothes. He gently pulls them apart and blinks at the sight that greets him.

  


"They're both male."

"I know."

"They're both castrated."

"I know."

"We never let them out and we don't leave any windows open in any way that cats can get in or out. So tell me how these kittens got inside and what they've been eating."

"I don't know, Quentin. I can't answer that question or any you might have on why. What I know is that these little guys are small, they're still young and I bet they're starving. Can you call Eoghan and see if he can't get us some formula or something? We can't just give them regular milk, I'm pretty sure it's bad for them. Formula and a couple of bottles to feed them with. He has a car, he'll get to the pet shop faster than any of us." Yael looks down at the five tiny little kittens, nearly swaddled in the stolen underwear.

He really cannot explain how they made it into the house. He figures their boys somehow made it outside—he makes a mental note to check everywhere twice to see where they might be slipping out from—and found these kittens more than likely abandoned by their mother. It makes no sense to him. He can't understand why they would bring kittens about at all but it isn't something he spends too much time on. At that point he's only worried about making sure none of the little meowing balls of fur die.

  


Twenty minutes after the call Quentin placed to Eoghan, there is a knock on their door and Quentin goes to open it, letting Eoghan step inside with the heavy bag. He smiles, a surprised sort of smile and he takes off his jacket and shoes. It's raining outside, the streets are muddy. He follows Quentin into the kitchen where they prepare several bottles of formula and Quentin leads him towards the cats's room, despite that Eoghan knows the way.

"Now how did you guys end up with these?" He sounds curious as he settles down and gently takes one of the kitten to offer the bottle to the hungry mouth. They each take another and settle to offer the extra bottles to the two left on the pile of clothes.

"I don't know. I figure the boys somehow got outside but I don't recall when they might have or how. I guess it doesn't matter much, I'm more worried about these little ones." Yael's voice quiet and thoughtful though he yawns widely and closes his eyes for a moment. He's exhausted but he knows he might not get much sleep in the next few days.

"What are you going to do with them?" He cants his head, smiling down softly at the tiny kitten suckling at the bottle. He's well aware he can't ask Alexis if they can keep one. Not with Adela in the house, even though he knows she doesn't get out and it would be impossible for a kitten to get in, so maybe, just maybe.

"I don't know what Quentin might want but I'm all for keeping them. It's not like we don't have the room." He rubs his eyes with his free hand and Eoghan looks him over slowly. Quentin only shrugs but chuckles faintly, a soft, tired smile. 

"You both look exhausted as can be. Maybe you could ask the twins to come on over for a few hours every day to babysit the kittens while you two sleep. I'm pretty sure they'd love to learn something new about this world and it would keep them occupied."

Yael blinks, shifting the bottles he's holding slightly. Quentin is the one to nod, a thoughtful look crossing his face.

"That might not be a bad idea. Soon as these guys are fed though, we'll switch them to real blankets so I can have my clothes back."

"Some of that stuff is mine too, Quentin."

"I know, most of it is mine though. Don't fall asleep feeding them now."

"I'll head back, talk to the twins and come back over with them. Once I'm here again, you two can head off to bed, you look ready to fall over."

"Thanks, Eoghan."


	13. Expenses

"Alexis said that all these little things, like the train ticket and taxis and meals and his hotel stays when he was out of the city, they were all paid back to him by his boss." Yael's voice is thoughtful, his words random in what had been a quiet moment spent staring out the window of their moving bus. "They're called expenses, it's when you have to do things for your job but it costs you some money so they pay you back."

"Lex is rich, it's not like he couldn't afford all these things by himself." Quentin yawns, leaning his head back against the window briefly. He settles the hood of his jacket over his hair a little more comfortably.

"Quentin, you're rich and at times you complain about having to pay for bus fares because you think they should be free." His voice is amused as he shifts in his seat to better look outside, they almost are at their destination.

"That is because I think public transport should be free. Not everyone can afford to pay for this and everyone should have a way of getting from point A to point B." To his mind, it is an idea that make sense, really. He knows that there needs to be gas paid for and oil changes and all the rest. They already take so much out of everyone's regular pay check (this he learned from Eoghan when the man had been talking about it) that he believes they could just use the taxpayer's money instead.

"They still need to pay their drivers and for gas and repairs and the rest. At least it's not all that expensive. I've heard of places where the price of the bus ticket really was unreal." Yael shrugs and reaches out to request a stop, the next one is theirs.

  


"We still haven't decided what we're going to call them." Browsing the aisles together, trying to find more formula along with more food for their fully grown boys. Yael crouches and picks up one of the biggest grain free pouch of cat food the store has, he carefully cops it into their cart.

"I don't know, Yael. We already have two and they're constantly taking off with our things-"

"No they're not and we both know this. They did this recently because they were building that nest of sort for the kittens, otherwise they've never once touched our clothes. They're full of energy, they play a lot, they're affectionate as can be. I don't see how a few more might hurt. I'm the one doing the cleaning after them anyway, come on, Quentin. We can't just drop those off at a pet shop, I'd feel terrible not knowing that they're going to a really good home."

"We'll need to get them fixed."

"I have an appointment set up with the vet in a couple of days, Eoghan said he would take me, at that point at least I'll know about how old they are, how they're doing and I'll set up an appointment to have them fixed." They still browse the aisles, looking for what they do usually buy. Yael notices their regular litter sand container and he puts it in the cart. 

"We need to get ourselves a grocery caddy or something. Before long we'll need two boxes of litter sand at once and even though the bus drops us off about two corners away from home, dragging these back is going to be back-breaking."

"That or I talk Eoghan into driving us around on cat-grocery day but a grocery caddy of sorts could be helpful. I found the formula."

  


"I'm sure we'll figure out names in time." Quentin grunts slightly as he puts the box of litter sand down in the proper room. He straightens and grumbles softly about heavy lifting. Yael rolls his eyes at him but kisses his cheek with a soft chuckle.

"I may be somewhat taller than you but you're just barely bulkier and you're much stronger than I'll ever hope to be, that is why you more or less always end up on litter duty. Plus, the bag if food isn't all that lighter than the sand, it's just shaped differently." He sticks out his tongue as he cuts the bag open and empties its content into the container they keep for that. Next to it, he settles a new container that came in through the mail and into it goes the second bag, food for the kittens. He knows he'll have to keep track of the food until the kittens are big enough to eat the same thing as their boys.

"As for finding names, the sooner might be better, by visiting the vet, I'll be getting their papers. I suppose he can leave them empty in the name space for me to fill in but I would just feel better if we had something to call them other than 'kitten'. I feel like we're just being really vague about them."

"You are such a softy. People wouldn't be able to tell by looking at you but you are an absolute softly." Quentin chuckles before he pads to the corner of the room to look in on their little one. They have temporary set a gate in front of the door to keep the newly wandering kittens from getting out of the area. Areli and Lavi both know how to get around the blocked entryway by simply jumping over it, not something their owners are much worried about.

"I may be a softy but at least it's for all the right reasons." Yael follows Quentin to the felines and they both settle down, just checking in as it is, making sure none of them are showing signs of illness to the best of their ability. It isn't much but at least they try.

After a few moments, they leave the kittens be. The twins headed back across to their apartment the moment they came back through the door. Yael is rather glad for Eoghan's idea asking them to help, otherwise he knows both he and Quentin would have been dead on their feet a couple of weeks back already.

The little balls of fur have adapted quickly to their new surroundings though Yael is most certain that they had been too young when they somehow appeared in their home—they had never found out where their boys might have found their way out of how the kittens were brought in—to really have known any other form of comfort.

Areli and Lavi both spend plenty of their times near the little ones, as if to protect them from the world outside though there isn't much to be protected from within the walls of their own home. Still it is sweet to think that these two usually so rambunctious cats were so calm and protective. It was warming.

  


As Yael steps into the waiting car, he sets carefully down into the back of the car the cat carrier he had ordered. He made sure it was fully padded with a towel on the inside for the comfort of its occupants. He sighs and rubs his eyes lightly. He murmurs a soft thanks to Eoghan who starts the somewhat short drive to the vet who will be looking these ever growing kittens up.

"So, have you two found names for them yet?" He looks to his tired passenger briefly before turning his gaze back towards the quiet road ahead of them. "You look exhausted, everything all right?"

"No names yet, we can't seem to find anything we both like for them." Yael pauses and looks into the back briefly. "One of them got sick overnight so I mostly spent my hours with it to make sure it was okay. Doing better this morning, even ate like the rest of its siblings, I'm just tired. Thank you for driving me."

"That's what friends do."


	14. I never expected __________

Today turned out rather differently than I first had expected. It was my first returning visit to Armin after I had brought in all that new furniture—that he honestly needed in a somewhat bad way—and told him, in a very basic way, all about demonhood. Or at least, that demons existed and were the reason behind most 'gifts' humans might possess. Telepathy, telekinesis, fire abilities, the list really is mostly endless there used to be so many of us.

I felt a little uncertain as I got up, almost afraid he might close the door in my face after he might open it and notice it was me. I don't pry in his mind, it's wrong. I could do it easily but I promised him I never would unless he told me I could. Plus, the bracelet he still wears makes it even more difficult to pry and that's for the best, at least for me.

When I got out of bed, Alexis was already in his work room. Most of his commissions were on short time constraints. It's like people who order from him don't know that they could do it at least a couple of months early or a couple of weeks at least but not. Most folks I've heard him talk to usually want their piece within the next couple of days. Blargh.

I got dressed, ate a little something though I really didn't feel hungry and I made my way down to his apartment where I knocked and waited. I listened, hearing his slightly shuffling step come towards the door. I held my breath as he opened it, looked at me and canted his head, as if he was considering whether or not to let me in.

He did thankfully set back though I still couldn't read his expression, I didn't know what to make of it. He led me to the kitchen and we sat at the table.

  


"So tell me more about these demons and about how most things that humans shouldn't be able to do comes from them." I stare at him for a long moment before shaking my head, a smile finding my lips. I honestly hadn't expected him to turn around this quickly. I really had thought he would either just deny everything I had told him though it seemed unlikely for all the reading he does, or he would just take a really long time to come around.

I open my mouth to begin to tell him more but I shut it and I look beyond him, towards the wall a moment. I'm not really staring at anything, it's just something I do when I briefly slip into my mind to try to figure out a few details. I focus on him again and I offer a slight smile once more. "There's a lot of information out there, what do you want to know about?"

There is a lot of information out there, Alexis knows more than I do since he's almost five times my age and all. We start small, about general demonology. The basic history of where, why and when. I don't have all the answers but I tell him what I know in the simplest of terms I know. This is a lot of information to take in. I'm demon born, gifted and even I have a hard time accepting everything I'm told about my own bloodline. I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like for him.

He asks questions and I answer them, it's how most of our morning goes by. By the time noon drifts around, his stomach gurgles to remind him to eat and I laugh a little. The atmosphere isn't tense, I'm glad for that. He's like a sponge though, his eyes are bright, he's curious, he wants to learn more. It's like tutoring kids all over again, something I did a hundred year or so ago. Of course I tutored them about human things since they were human kids but that's aside the point. It feels good to feel useful again.

After he settles back with some soup and a sandwich, we go back to playing questions and answer.

By mid-afternoon, when I know his brain has to be full to near bursting, I let him be. I give him time to digest everything he's asked for and I head back up to my shared home. I don't know how to honestly feel. I feel a little lighter because I haven't completely alienated him but at the same time I feel a little guilty for all I've essentially thrown at him. It's so much information.

  


"Are you done with your commission piece?" I ask him quietly when I close the door behind me with a sigh. I rub my shoulder and take my shoes off. Guilt has settled into my bones even though I know I was only looking out for him and I wasn't really doing him any harm.

"Almost, I just need to add in a few details but I'll be doing those tomorrow. You look like your world has fallen to pieces." Lex's voice is smooth, silken and I almost smile, almost. I shake my head and flop down limply onto the couch in the living room. I reach for that tie-dye blanket even though it's warm in the apartment.

"I don't know that I know what I'm doing. I told Armin about demons. I mean I haven't told him about how we all are but I've told him about demons in general. He just had all these questions and I just answered him to the best of my knowledge. By the looks on his face he just wants to learn more and more and I'm afraid of what I've just done."

I know I sound like I'm just wallowing in self pity or something but I really feel terrible. I don't know how human minds really work and I don't know if they can really wrap themselves around that kind of knowledge.

Before I realize it, Lex is settled next to me. He smells faintly of chocolate and I can't help the faint chuckle as it escapes me. This scent always does that to me. He smiles at me, a warm, gentle smiles. He wraps his arm around me and I'm more than willing to move from the couch to his lap where I press my face against his throat and let out a choked little sound, probably a sob. I'm frustrated with myself. Absolutely frustrated.

He rests his chin lightly against the top of my head and I just sniffle away like a child who had just received news of a lost family member, a child trying to be strong. I feel weak and I hate myself for it.

"You're just preparing him for an eventual move to the realms. We don't know how diluted his blood is and we don't know how long he'll live but he deserves to know about these things so I don't think you did wrong. He's open minded, he believes in a lot of things and I think you did well."

I choke on a soft laugh and I shake my head. These words are not going to help me at this point though I wish they would. I hate myself when I do this, wallow absolutely in self pity. It doesn't happen often and I usually pull myself out of it within a couple of hours but it's just one of those things in my life that happen and where the only person who can help me change any of it is me. I'll get over it before too long but it's just one of those things.


	15. Aroma

Spending time outside over the past week has been impossible. Unless of course your name turned out to be Mira, then you were happy as can be and you spent the better part of your time outside as rain first trickled about, then poured, then trickled once more.

However, Alexis's name sounds nothing like Mira and obviously he isn't the young boy who has been trying to drag his fire-gifted brother out into the warm rain of early June. Alexis and rain have a history that he cares little about. While he doesn't mind being out in it, he rather prefers staying inside where he can be dry and comfortable.

Getting up in the mornings with the skies still coloured grey and the raindrops finding their pathways blocked by windows is something Alexis finds more than a little difficult. While he cares little for the idea of being out in the rain, listening to it while he's inside, sipping usually a cup of tea or, at time when they find a really high quality coffee, a cup of that.

He knows he can lounge in bed all he wants, he has no commissions, he has nothing waiting for him on that particular day. Even with Eoghan not at his side, something that usually upsets him somewhat as he likes his lover close to him while they're in bed, he knows that he could stay in his bed all day long, thanks to the soft sound of the rain against the window settled not far from his side of the bed.

The side his lover occupies however is cold and he humphs slightly. Usually he is a light enough sleeper to be aware when Eoghan slips out of bed but he figures that the rain really has kept him quietly peaceful and deeply asleep.

As he closes his eyes and prepares to let his still drowsy mind slip back to the recesses of his sleep world, something draws his attention away from the darkness and closer to the light that he does not feel completely ready to welcome. He quiets and breathes, taking in the sounds and scents of his surroundings and whatever it is that is pulling him comes again.

Sitting up, he leans back against the pillows and tries to clear his mind. He blocks out the rain against the window and focuses once more. There it is again. Not a sound, no, it's not something he hears, it clearly is something his nose is picking up though he isn't quite sure of what it might be.

He knows it isn't fire, he knows that scent too well and fire, like water, are two things he tries to control unless it really is absolutely out of his hands.

Finally, he slips out of bed with a sigh and locates his boxers to at least put them on. He knows better than to wander bare in the house, even if it is just that, his house. They could have guests though he hears nothing so he doubts it.

  


In the kitchen, Eoghan is carefully patting down finely ground coffee into its little container. Once he's done, he puts it into the machine and turns it on once more. For a proper coffee with this machine, unless he buys the brand name cups, requires two filled reusable cups of regular coffee. Though what he is brewing is nothing regular. The scent of it makes his mouth water. He usually cares little for coffee but at times he comes upon a very special blend, a special roast, a special something and he buys a little back.

All is quiet in the house so he rather clearly hears the slightly shuffling steps of his lover as he walks out of their bedroom and into the warm but dimly lit kitchen. He chuckles and waits until the machine is done before he pours out two cups, one for himself, one for his life companion and he pushes the second cup carefully to the near edge of the counter.

"I don't recall ever smelling anything quite that rich before." His voice is soft, still husky from sleep. He reaches for the cup offered to him and brings it closer to his nose to breathe in the aroma. This was new to him. Coffee was just one of those things he knew about after years of wandering left and right, years of learning about the world as a whole and this was a whole new discovery.

Eoghan smiles, a pleased little smile that settles easily on his lips. "I thought you might like it. I saw it in the shop, it was a new sort of thing, they only had a few bags since they didn't know how well it was going to sell. I took one. The way they worded it made it sound interesting and when I opened it up earlier I could tell it was going to be a nice cup."

"Coming from you, this says a lot but it does smell rich and wonderful. It has an undertone of something, I can't quite put my finger on it."

  


"You were going to laze in bed all day." Eoghan's voice is quietly amused as they sit side by side in the living room. There is no music, no television, just the soft sound of the rain against their windows.

"I was comfortable and the rain was keeping me adrift on the dream wagon." He sips at his cup and closes his eyes. He savours the taste of a brand of coffee he knows he will not drink often but it is wonderful. Coffee is for special occasions as far as he's concerned and those are far and few in-between. Everything is special for him, so long as he has Eoghan but special occasions really have to stand out. "You abandoned me anyway."

Shrugging, Eoghan quirks a brow as he sips at his cup himself. Just a little milk in his, barely. Alexis likes his black. "I was awake and no matter what I tried I couldn't get back to sleep. You might not want to believe me but I did try to actually wake you up." 

Alexis quirks a brow and chuckles softly, a low, amused sound. "Rain does put me into that realm of almost impossible to wake up. You could have doused me with water."

"Oh sure, and then you would have grumped and grumbled at me for the rest of the day, reminding me about how rain is supposed to stay outside and not inside."

Their banter is soft spoken, playful. They both know that none of what has happened until coffee was served is all that important. There is nothing forcing either one of them to stay in bed or get up. No contract or statement to prove that either one of them has wrong the other in any way. They have been together too long to even really argue anymore, though of course it happens once in a blue moon. It never lasts long.


	16. An Obstacle

"Haizea." The name left his mouth in a whisper, his eyes wide and unbelieving. Andoni's not-quite twin sister. Andoni had told Armin, not long after they had started to really date, that Haizea had been born two years before him but on the same day. They had grown up close, she had always been there for him, always at his side. They had acted closer than most other twins Andoni had ever met in his life and he had met quite a few.

She had never approved of the disabled boyfriend. She knew his name but refused to ever utter it. To her, when she thought he might not hear her speaking to her brother in hushed tones, it was the disabled boyfriend, the ugly man. It was not only his slight disability that had bothered her, it was the fact that he was as he was: a man. Armin had been aware from day one of their relationship that Andoni saw himself as pansexual. He had dated women and men before, not in huge numbers but he had. This was not something Armin gave much thought to. The man loved him, treated him like he was normal and that was all that mattered.

He hadn't seen much of her while he and Andoni had been together. Only when they were meeting up with his family. Armin himself had no family to really share, they lived in another city. Andoni's own were in the city and now and again they would meet up with them. His boyfriend's parents seemed indifferent to his presence but Haizea had made it clear from the beginning that she didn't like him. The petite woman was fierce and loving to her family but she was painfully judgemental to others.

Andoni had tried to tell him that she had been this way with every single person he had ever brought home, the few souls he had dated and it made him wonder as to the kind of person it might take for Haizea to actually believe her brother might finally be happy.

  


She was sitting at the bar, talking to someone, he couldn't see who. He wasn't about to get up and go talk to her. That would have been one of his more foolish ideas. All he wanted was to have a quiet meal in peace and the slight two-person booth he had been taken to was just that. Just far enough from the bar, far enough from the main floor. It was his usual spot when he came into this restaurant.

It was hard to mistake her for anyone. She hadn't changed at all in the years since he had lost his lover, since her brother had died. At times he wondered if it wasn't her who turned Andoni's parents against him, who made them blame him for the accident that he hadn't even been around to witness. They hadn't much cared for him but hadn't tried to get him to leave. He had wondered if she really was the reason he hadn't been able to have his last goodbyes, hadn't even been allowed at the funerals. Those thoughts had haunted him for months before he had forced himself to try to move on.

He then tried to ignore her as she sat and chatted somewhat animatedly with someone he couldn't see. He ate his meal in quiet, just as he liked it. He had almost forgotten her presence at the bar altogether by the time he had finished his simple dessert. It all came smashing back into his face as he got up to leave. He realized one thing: he had to round the bar to get to the exit. His heart sank.

He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. It was likely she had forgotten about him completely and he hoped that to be the case. He didn't know how well he could handle anything else. He didn't want to talk to her but she had been confrontational when Andoni hadn't been in the room with him. She would get in his face and hiss threats at him, telling him that he had to leave right there and then or so help her- she never did get to finish those sentences. Andoni had amazing timing.

Sighing, he rubbed the bridge of his nose carefully and he started on his way towards the bar. He had no other choices. So he went, he walked slowly and steadily, he made is beyond the bar and out the door. He was free, he could hail a taxi and get back home.

"-hole." He blinked at the half-word that reached his ears but assumed someone nearby was talking to someone else.

"I said wait, you fucking asshole!" The voice made him cringe and shudder. He stopped, standing as straight as he could. He only wanted to go home, why did it have to turn out this way?

"Haizea." He murmured the name softly. He had nothing nice to say to her and he wasn't about to go out of his way to be nice to her. Not the way she had treated him during the years he had had with Andoni. All he really felt was empty indifference at this point. He just wanted home.

"Don't you dare utter my name you disabled asshole!" She really hadn't changed. Even in her heels she came up about to his nose. She really had been petite to Andoni's much taller frame. Still she had been protective of her younger brother. "I have done nothing to you, Haizea. I don't deserve whatever anger you still seem to hold over me. I just want to go home."

"I said you don't get to utter my name, asshole. You took my brother away from me. You killed him. I should beat you the hell up but you're so pathetic it's not even worth it."

"So you just stepped outside to give me some lip? I lost the man I loved. He was everything to me. It was an accident and you kept me from even seeing him one last time to tell him I loved him." His words are still soft but he feels the old pain bloom anew in his chest. His head is killing him.

She sneers up at him, nearly in his face. She pokes him in the chest with a finger. "You killed him, bastard, and I'll have your head for that one of these days, just you wait, I'm no where near done with you. You soiled him with your filthy disabled love."

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, trying so hard to stay calm, he closes his eyes again and breathes in deeply. He shakes his head and slowly turns around. If she wanted to do anything to him at this point he didn't much care, he just wanted to get home. He wanted to be away and in his bed or at least where he knew he was safe from ever hearing her voice again though it would haunt him for a while, he knew.

"You'll see what happens to people who turn their backs to me!" She was almost screeching as he flagged down a cab. He was glad to get in and give his address. All he wanted at this point was to be home, that really was it. He wanted the quiet safety of his bedroom.

  


His fare paid and his emotions mostly in control again, he stepped into the building, listening to the door as it clicked shut and locked behind him. He walked down to his apartment and stepped inside. That door too was locked though he was the one to lock it. He barely thought to hang his coat on the portmanteau in the entryway before he was walking to his bedroom.

He struggled briefly with his shoes to get them off and that was as far as he got with everything else. He crawled into his bed still fully clothed and merely curled up best as he could. He reached for the blanket he kept at the foot of his bed and covered himself up with it. It wasn't fair that she still was haunting him. Not when he was finally trying to move on.

All he wanted was to move on.


	17. Red Lines

Usually I don't really have an issue focusing when there's someone standing over my shoulder, just watching everything I do. I can tune them out really well. Lately though I've put a break on the art I've done because I felt completely blocked. I've tried now and again to get back to it but the moment I sit down with my paints or my pencils or even clay, I just freeze. Nothing comes. It has begun to frustrate me to the near point of tears though I try hard not to let it get to me too much.

I don't know if it's Quentin at times looking in over my shoulder or just briefly looking my way when I get started that stall me or not. I don't even know if his presence is what stalled me just this morning. I did have my paints out, I actually had some red stripes painted on my canvas. I was poised, ready to add more to it when he did peek briefly into my studio. I suppose I should learn to close the door and put a 'please do not disturb' sign.

  
__

"Why red lines?" He looked over my shoulder, peering at the mostly empty canvas with its few red stripes of deep red colour, already beginning to dry they were so quickly pulled from the emptiness of my imagination and onto the canvas.

I blinked and I could almost see my desire to draw sneer at me from some corner of my mind as it fled and hid away again. I set down my palette and my paint brush, looking at what then looked, to me, like a big mess of nothing at all. "I don't know. I thought it would be a good start to this painting."

He frowned and looked at me, first from his spot behind me before he moved to stand beside me. He smiled faintly, or at least he tried before he was carefully pulling a second bench over to sit down on it next to me. I did turn to him, I knew very well it was impolite to not look at someone when they were talking to you.

"Painting hasn't made you happy lately. I don't think you've honestly drawn a whole lot, right?" I shrugged, glancing to the mess of red to my right and looked back to him. He had a point but I didn't see the need to really answer, what would it have given me?

"I don't know. I'm blocked. Nothing is interesting and I just want to not even think that art exists at all right now." There, that had been out of my mouth. I expected him to gape or something but he only shook his head and offered me this faint little smile of his. I knew well enough he was only trying to understand what was going on in my head, I couldn't blame him for just being himself. I loved him for it.

"Blocks are temporary, I bet that eventually something'll hit you right in the face and you'll be locking yourself away in this room and nothing I'll say or do will bring you out of it. Come on, let's step out of this place for now, it's depressing you."

It had been depressing me to spend time in my studio, if only because I couldn't draw anything at all that seemed worthwhile. So I did step out with him. He made sure it was empty (Areli and Lavi both love to lounge in the window when the sun hits the room just right) and he closed the door securely.

  


I haven't even so much as looked towards that door. I don't know why I'm so blocked. I haven't drawn myself to exhaustion. I haven't spent endless hours just drawing until nothing else came. It just is like my need to be artful has dwindled over time. It frightens me. I know I love drawing, I love painting. I know I could love clay-working if my mind wasn't stuck on being completely blocked from everything that might have been artistic.

It makes me sad when I realize I've thought about asking Eoghan to dig through my mind to see if he couldn't somehow find whatever it was that was plugging up my desire to draw. To ask him if he couldn't pull it free but I know he doesn't like digging around in anyone's head unless he has to. I know I can live with this block for a while more until it depresses me more still. For now I know I have other things to worry about. 

The kittens are coming along wonderfully well. We still haven't figured out any names for them. I know we will in time but I feel like nothing we come up with is good enough. Every name that pops up into our mind is either too common or too 'lame' as Quentin calls them. In time, I guess.

  


By the time evening has settled, I still haven't even looked back to that door. I'm somewhat glad that I don't have to cross it to get to the bedroom. This is getting bad, really. I will need to talk to Eoghan, even if just for some reassurance that I'm not going completely crazy.

Quentin, waiting for me in our bedroom, welcomes me with open arms when I step into the warm, candle-lit room. I laugh softly, the sound startling me. I can't recall when I last laughed. It's sad when you think that I can't recall when I last laughed. It makes me worry a bit.

Though I have to admit that the worry is pretty much swept away for the rest of the evening and the night when I just settle in bed with him. Our life in the bedroom isn't all that active. There are times when we'll be feeling frisky but honestly we still haven't breached that one wall and I don't think either one of us is in any real hurry. We're comfortable with things as they are now.

The candles in our room are all set in proper little containers so that the candles can burn down to nothing at all and we're in no danger of a fire being started. Areli and Lavi both know to stay away from candles after they nearly set fire to the bed in the guest bedroom. An accident but still one with a tag of 'lesson learned'.

It's comforting to know I can just settle against him, close my eyes and forget about the world for a little while. I can just let my mind remember that I have him, that he's the reason I have this roof over my head, that I have food in my belly every night. He's the reason I can take a dip naked in our pool and settle against him on our floating mattress to just appreciate the quietness of our life.

Art is important but I know it won't kill me to not be able to draw. What I'm afraid of, however, is that I know that without art, a little bit of me erodes away on a daily basis, as if I need art to be kept whole. I guess it's like what I've heard of incubus and succubus needing sexual energy to stay well and alive. It's weird, it doesn't make much sense but that's just how I see things.


	18. Hopelessly Romantic

He laughs warmly as he steps into the house. At first the sight of the red petals on the floor confuse him, he imagines them as large blood stains in the darkened foyer but closer inspection leads him to realize they are indeed petals. His realizing that had brought forth his laughter. He carefully walks around the petals and into the kitchen where they lead, though their pathways only round the kitchen island and then disappear to the bedroom.

He stops in the kitchen, knowing he should be following the pathway but not quite yet ready to. His lover can wait a moment more, even if he knows that it is rare for him to show his absolutely, hopelessly romantic side. It is sweet and it would only take a moment, is what he told himself.

It did only take a moment, he unpacked his bag of groceries, putting to the fridge what he had bought and to the pantry the dry items. He folded away the bag, putting it with the rest in its little storage space. Done with that, he looked at the petals on the floor once more and he shook his head. His lips were set in an almost permanent smile since he had stepped inside. It was so absolutely sweet of Eoghan to go through all of this.

There isn't even a special occasion to celebrate, he knows all those dates by heart. The day they met, the day Eoghan declared his affection, the day they officially came to be two halves of a whole and so many others. Today is just a day like all the others. Though to them every day is special and cherished. On some days, cherishing the moment comes in the shape of cuddling nearly all day, on others, it seems, it comes down to petals scattered on the floor, leading him to their bedroom where he knows Eoghan is waiting for him, more than likely bared. 

The thought thrills him.

  


He does find Eoghan on the bed though the younger demon is asleep, dozed off peacefully. Alexis smiles at the sight and shakes his head. He knows he had promised a short trip and he supposes it is reason enough to have wanted to celebrate. This trip had been his first two days away since they had been reunited.

"I promised you I'd be home early but everything was delayed, I'm so sorry." He murmurs the words tenderly as he moves to tuck his lover under the covers. The petals can stay where they are for the time being, they are not causing any trouble. A single candle still burns on the dresser and he leaves it be.

He undresses,puts his clothes away and slips between the covers, settling next to his one and only. Eoghan is the only one who has ever had his heart so utterly. There have been many bodies, so many shared his bed though only ever during the time they were apart, never when they were together. Not one of them was as good for him and his soul as Eoghan is.

  


Come morning, he feels the younger demon shift slightly against his shoulder. He feigns sleep for the time being. His shoulder is kissed, the touch is light and loving. The arm over his waist settles again, as does the weight against his side. It seems the next few hours would be spent in bed. This isn't something he can complain about. He adores every peaceful moment he gets with Eoghan, no matter where they might be.

A few hours pass before the sleepy bundle at his side shifts once more. Rolls away and nearly rolls off the bed. Alexis laughs softly and Eoghan startles into awareness, stopping just inches from dropping off of the bed. He looks at the petals still on the folded comforter, the petals on the floor, leading out from their bedroom and into the rest of the house. There even was a trail leading to their bedroom, this one Alexis hadn't noticed the night before.

"I missed you." Settling against Alexis's side once more, Eoghan closes his eyes and breathes in the scent of his companion. His lips quirk into a pleased smile and he closes his eyes. This is as peaceful as it can be and he loves these moments to no end.

"I only was gone for two days." Alexis pauses and lightly ruffles Eoghan's hair, the man huffing and swatting at him half-heartedly. "But I missed you too. I'm sorry I came back so late. The flight was delayed, my phone battery died before I realized it and because I could charge it on the plane. Taxi I got on ended up with a flat tire and they had to call someone else and just, ugh. So much happened I'm just glad I'm here with you."

Laughing sleepily, a gentle sort of sound, Eoghan nuzzles Alexis's shoulder. "Did you find out more about what you went looking for?"

"I found plenty, so many things I can now add to my recipes, I even brought back a few of the ingredients I got from there."

There, Eoghan's eyes widen and he sits up straighter. "You managed to bring in food from another country?"

Snickering, Alexis shakes his head and flops back down to the bed, stretching with a yawn. "Not on the plane. I just packed what I was hoping to get my hands on while I was there and shipped it to myself here, it should get here in the afternoon, really."

"I know you're magic but I didn't expect you to be able to bring any food of any kind back with you on the plane, they're so stingy about that kind of thing." Eoghan grumps softly, remembering a time when he had been hoping to bring a particular plant back so he could set it into his own small little inner garden but they had refused him that much. He could understand that they didn't want the plant to take over and all but still it had been one very sucky situation. If only he'd had thought of shipping some of the seeds to himself!

"I wish I had come home early enough to be able to appreciate the beauty of the setup you prepared, love. It looks wonderful even though I admit I thought you'd bled away on the floor when I first stepped in. These petals in the dark really do look like huge splats of blood."

Eoghan's eyes widen again as he takes in that information. The shocked look fades within moments as he starts to laugh and before long the laughter is almost hysterical, his arms are curled around his stomach and he's folded in half as he tries to stop laughing at the mental image. 

Eventually he does quiet down though not before his ribs hurt from all of laughing. "I just wanted to do something special for your return home, I'd even set up the tub with petals and water and candles, oils and the rest."

Alexis sighs softly as he realizes what he's missed but he knows they can more than make up for it, he's not much worried about that. They do have until nearly the end of time and every day is a day cherished and appreciated. "How are we picking these petals up?"

"Broom and dust bucket thing. I think we might clog the vacuum if we try to gobble those up that way. The floor is clean, we could just sweep them up and put them somewhere to dry them. Maybe we could make potpourri with them?"

"Maybe, that might actually be a nice idea. Not sure about the ones in the tub though, we'll see."

"Oh hell I never drained the tub."

"Not the end of the world, that. We'll do that in a while, for now I still want to appreciate having you up close and personal to me. I've missed you so much."

"Missed you more."


	19. Cinnamon

The day dawns pale and clear on this quiet morning. A few birds are chirping on tree branches but most seem to still be out for the count, the air is so calm. In one particular apartment however, there already are pots and pans out on the counter they are fresh from just a few moments or so ago when the young man using them woke up and remembered that he had planned on preparing a special sort of dessert for his family and friends.

Mira when working the kitchen, unlike his brother Agni, prefers to make sure he has all ingredients for his recipe before he gets started. He brings everything out on the counter with the spoons and cups he will need to prepare, to the best of his ability, the best dessert ever (to him, in any case, it will be).

Once the counter is nearly covered with ingredients, more than he thought he might need, he goes over his list once more and frowns as he realizes he's missing one key ingredient. He looks through the cupboards, being as quiet as he can be though he knows that his brother sleeps very deeply. Zora, on the other hand, does not sleep quite so deeply, he doesn't want to wake her.

The one ingredient still missing for his recipe he cannot find after a thorough search of the kitchen. He looks down the hall to the bedrooms and weighs his choices. He could wake his sister to ask her if they had any but she might not appreciate it. She had come home rather late the night before.

His gaze turns to his brother's room and starts down that way. He would grumble just the same but it was easier to deal with his brother's sleepy grumbling than it was his sister's. He knows it's too early to head out and buy that ingredient, else he would have left a note and gone on his way. Such a simple ingredient but he knows it is a necessity for the recipe.

  


"Agni, where's the cinnamon?" He tries to keep his voice soft though he's closed the bedroom door. He shakes his brother's shoulder lightly to try to rouse him. Unlike Zora, Mira knows that Agni is just being lazy. They both did nothing more than laze about the day before and his early waking hour could very well have been his brother's own.

Agni swats at him lightly, muttering softly under his breath as he rolls over to his other side.

"Agni, I need cinnamon to get my recipe going, you're the last one who touched it at all, I recall you had a stick last night." He doesn't know whether or not his brother just chews away at the stuff or not. He personally only likes it in recipe, the taste of it on its own lacks a certain something, he doesn't know for sure and usually doesn't really worry much about. If Agni likes the stuff then it was all good for him, so long as he left some in the house when it was time to use it for recipe.

"Agni!" He shakes his brother a little harder with a grumble and the young fire-using demon blinks himself to awareness, he rolls over to face his brother and merely pouts at him as he rubs his eyes. "What?"

Rolling his eyes at his brother, Mira straightens and crosses his arms. He didn't feel guilty for waking his sibling up, not at all.

"I need cinnamon, where did you put it when you were done last night?" He has a hard time understand why some people didn't put things back where they first found them, when they were done with it. There wasn't much he could do about it.

Sleepily, Agni stares at his brother, still trying to wrap his mind around what he was being asked. When it clicks in his mind he snorts and rolls back over. "Ate it."

"You ate it?"

He only gets a grunt in answer and his confusion settles a little more into him. "There was a whole stick, Agni. All I needed was a little bit, I was going to grate it. Now you're telling me we're all out?"

"I ate it."

  


Looking at the almost mess on the counter, Mira sighs as he begins to slowly put it away. He knows the recipe well enough to know that without cinnamon the taste will be absolutely different and it will not be the best dessert in the world. 

With another sigh, he puts away the pots and pans once he's done with the ingredients. He runs a clean cloth over his work surface, even if he hasn't used it and heads back to his room. 

Too wide awake for sleep now, he wonders what he should be doing with himself. Reading isn't interesting at this point and if he heads out he has no idea what he might do outside. Plus it still is quiet and too early for it to really be safe to wander alone though he wishes he could.

Instead of going outside through the front door, he dresses in more than just his pyjama pants and then leaves a single word on a piece of paper on his door. 'Roof.'

He quietly steps out from his room, then down the hallway to the stairs leading to the top. From there he slips down the edge of the hallway to the last little staircase that leads to the roof. The door is locked but the key is kept on a hook next to it. He figures they only keep it locked for the weather, in case someone might forget to close it properly. He's seen it happen in places they had slept at, before. The door banging and slamming in the middle of the night because the wind wanted it for itself and because someone hadn't closed it properly.

Those memories aren't exactly pleasant.

He steps out onto the roof and shivers slightly at the breeze that welcomes him. The day is still so quiet and peaceful, it is almost his favourite time of the day. He walks to the fenced edge, moving to sit on one of the lounging chairs settled there. Most of the chairs are under the protection of the solarium, near the pool but a couple are out where it is comfortable to be in the sun. He settles back and closes his eyes, letting the slightly mist-covered sun begin to warm his skin. It feels nice and for a while he knows he can forget about the cinnamon, how his brother gobbled it all up and how it doesn't really matter. 

When they buy more, he'll just hide some away so he can get his recipe done the way he really wants to.


	20. Over the Hill

In most of the dreams he can remember, he tries to climb a hill, never really knowing what is on the other side. Most of the time the hill is steep, almost more than he can truly manage but he always tries. His gut constantly is reminding him that this is something he has to do, that there is something on the other side that is waiting for him, expectantly, with wide open arms.

In most of those dreams, his leg is worse than it is in reality, as if he had grown even more malformed than he recalled himself being. It makes undertaking the climb difficult, almost impossible since his dreams (or was it his subconscious?) refuses to give him the one thing that makes his life and his walking a little easier to handle: his crutch.

At first most of the hills are slight, at least from afar. By the time he makes it to them, he realizes they're much bigger than they seem though not impossible to get over. As he climbs, the face of the hill seems to change into something more difficult to work with and usually by the time he's almost at the top, the ground opens up beneath him and swallows him whole. It usually is by then that he wakes in cold sweat, wondering just what his mind was trying to tell him.

  


No amount of reading about dreams or about what their might mean brings him any answer. None of what he finds in books makes any sense and after the fourth of fifth book he stops and leaves them in their place, instead going back to what he should have been doing, putting these books away.

He wishes he had someone to help him with those books, with summer around the corner, he sees more and more people in the library and working on his own makes it almost impossible unless he somehow works overtime (without being paid for it) to put most of the books away.

With his nights being as short as they are and his days as exhausting, it isn't completely surprising for him to doze off just slightly by his desk. Thankfully never when his boss is around. He has a little bell on his desk and most people are kind enough to ring it to get his attention, usually from elsewhere in the library.

Still the idea of having interns of sorts or helpers in any way brushes his mind more and more. He doesn't know how to bring it up to his boss and doesn't even know who might be interested in the job. He knows if his boss goes with it, the pay will more than likely be close to minimum wage as had been the case for him when he had simply worked the shelves.

  


On a quiet, sunny afternoon, right as he begins to doze off, he hears a gentle sort of murmur, something that pulls him from his almost sleep. He startles to full awareness and blinks at the young man standing in front of him, wide blue eyes curious. 

"Good afternoon, Mira." He murmurs the words softly. He can't recall when he last, if ever, saw the twins at all in the library. It isn't quite out of their way but he figures it just is one of those places that doesn't really appeal to young teenagers anymore.

Smiling, Mira carefully puts down a couple of books, on botany, on the counter. Looking them over, out of curious interest more than anything else, Armin brings them closer to be able to scan their spine, scan them into the system. "Do you have a library card, Mira?"

His voice remains ever soft and the teenager seems to understand that this is one of the rules of the place, he shakes his head, smiling sheepishly. "Wanted more books to read, Zora walked us here to look around a little, she can't be far."

Nodding, Armin turns away briefly to go through the motions of creating a new card for the young man. At the same time he creates one up for his brother and one for their older sister. It might as well be done all at once, even if they might not want those cards at all.

Done with the card, he turns back around and hands it over. He scans both books, makes sure they're marked in his system and pushes them over gently.

"I like it here, it's so quiet. Can I stay and watch you work for a while?"

  


A while turned out to be until it was time to close the library. The young man stays almost at his heels as he works, offering help in some places, putting books where it is a little harder for Armin to reach without the step and he hates it for how wobbly he feels when he's on it. He manages to get more work done with Mira at his side in one afternoon than he has in past days over the course of several weeks gone by. It is impossible to keep a library of this size running with only one person in it.

Maybe, just maybe Mira might be willing to help, place books and check the system. Who knows, maybe his brother might be interested as well. He did spot both the red-eyed young man and their sister while they were out putting books back in their places.

Since all three stayed until he closed the door—he figures it mostly is Mira who asked to stay until then—he walks on home with them. They head to the bus stop and wait patiently for it to come their way. Armin keeps to himself for the time being, not really knowing how to approach Zora about the idea he has had to maybe try to see if the twins would not like to work with him in the library. He knows Mira would like it, he's just not certain about Agni. At least it would keep the both of them out of trouble.

He knows well enough that at this point he can't bring it up yet, he has to make sure to clear it up with his boss, find out if it's possible at all. It would be one of those mistakes to make to manage to convince Zora and her brothers that the young boys could work with him only for his boss to deny him the help he knows he so desperately needs. So he keeps quiet.

Once they drop off at the proper stop, they head to the building and enter. On the first floor, before they part way, Armin thanks Mira for all his help, telling him how much it did help him and how further along his chores and tasks it got him. That maybe if he wanted to come help again now and again he could. He didn't talk about the idea of a job just yet, no, just a little help now and again is a good start for an offer.

Mira beams at him and the Bachchan family head down the hallway and to the stairs to head up to the second floor. Once he sees them disappear into the staircase he walks to his apartment, collapsing into his couch for a while. His legs ache but not as much as they have over the past few weeks. 

Help really would be nice.


	21. Something Breaks

It never was meant to happen this way. Sadly, life tends to take things the way it wants, not even once perhaps thinking—can life even really think?—that others might have made plans before, that they might have wanted these events to unfold in just a certain way. No amount of moaning of whining or crying will ever really change anything now, it is a matter of waiting and letting be, of healing.

  


Zora's habit of taking her brothers to the hill for their little run had settled. Once a week or so, usually on Saturdays as it was the first day of her weekend from work. Their routine was simple, they took the bus early in the morning, bundled or not depending on what the weather was like and got off at the proper stop before they walked quietly, for the most part waking up along with the nature that surrounded them, to the foot of the hill they would run up.

She told them to think really hard on what they wanted for dinner that night before she started quietly on her way up, walking. She had no desire to run, the running was for them, it made them use up energy though their little job, a few hours a week at this point, at the library was a good start when it came to using up all that bottled up energy.

Once at the top she called out to them to gather their attention, signalled for them to start running and sat back on the lonely table there at the top. She figured that there weren't a lot of people actually willing to climb the hill to get to its top. It was such a shame, the view was absolutely beautiful, breath-taking in the early mornings when the sun still was low enough on the horizon to throw colours out and about as if it didn't care.

It took her brothers time to climb up the hill and it really was what she was after. It was almost steep, it required attention and a lot of energy. She didn't know whether or not they planned who got to the top first though she figured they might since one week it was Agni, the other it was Mira, then back to Agni, then Mira again. It didn't matter, so long as they had fun on their climb up.

The air had been quiet, she knew they were moments from reaching the top when she heard the sudden cry. She moved quickly from her spot at the table to the edge of the hilltop to look down, right as she heard an answering cry of 'MIRA!'. Dread filled her as she saw her youngest brother tumbling down the hill, narrowly avoiding a tree here, a spot of rocks there though near the end he did smash into a bundle of trees with a cry and went absolutely still.

Agni was already on the careful way down to reach his brother when she started slowly down the hill. She hated having to take her time but knew that rushing could get her into a situation similar to her brother at that point. She didn't want to think about what might have happened or on what his foot might have slipped.

It seemed to take forever for her to join her brothers at the near foot of the hill. Agni had turned Mira carefully onto his back. He was breathing and conscious but his brow was warm with pained fever and she didn't like the angle of his leg, not one little moment. She knew he would heal quick but if the leg wasn't set properly it wouldn't heal right and—well she didn't want to think about it. She only took a moment to look her brother over before she managed to squash her panic down. She gulped down a little sob as she straightened. "You keep him still, don't move him. I'm going to call Alexis, he'll come get us."

She did vaguely remember that the man had mentioned knowing others like them. One in particular was a doctor, they were not close friends, he had said, but she owed him a few favours. The woman was fascinated with how slowly humans healed and what they did, or not, heal from.

Rushing down to the nearest grounded telephone, she dug through her small bag to locate the booklet in which she kept the so very few phone numbers she now knew she could call.

  


It was a painfully long half-hour until she recognized the familiar car as it pulled into the parking lot. It was a van more than a car she knew but she saw most small vehicles as 'cars' more than anything else at that point in her life.

From within the insides of the dark vehicle, both Alexis and Eoghan came out. She went to meet them, walking back at their sides as they went slightly up the hill to meet up with her still brother. Agni had managed to roll their slight pack and set it beneath his head, at least to give him that much comfort.

Mira had not complained once or uttered much of anything since he had been joined at his landing spot.

Agni, not caring to leave his brother's side, did move away when Eoghan gently asked him to. He knelt on one of Mira's side while Alexis looked down at him, his eyes filled with gentle concern. Eoghan carefully checked him over, not quite a doctor himself but having been hurt enough in his lifetime to be able to at least check a few basic things.

"His arm is broken, Doc's going to need to fix that, a few fingers might be sprained but that's minor, his legs look all right but his ribs might be bruised, it's hard to tell. Of course he'll heal quick but he needs looked over anyway." His voice was soft but warm, there was a gentle smile to his lips as he carefully finished looking Mira over to the best of his ability.

"Can you walk, Mira?" The boy stared for a long moment before he gave a slow, uncertain nod. It was worth a try.

"All right, I'll slip my hand under your shoulders to help you up. Normally I'd just pick you up completely but I don't know how bad your ribs really are. In three, two, one-" He moved as carefully as he could to get the teenager on his feet and not once did Mira actually complain about the pain. He was steady on his feet and Eoghan let Agni step to his brother's side.

Alexis was on the phone while they walked, calling in to their doctor friend to warn her that they had an incoming visitor.

  


Once back home, Mira just lightly drugged on natural herbs, things seemed to be easier, everyone breathed calmly. She had thanked both Alexis and Eoghan when they had walked them back up to their door, dropping off some specially mixed herbal tea along the way before they had both gone back up to their own floor.

Agni had seen to settling his brother in his bed, undressing him until he was comfortable in the clothes he wore and tucking him in securely. Several sprained fingers, a lot of bruises and cuts, a broken arm, bruised ribs. The cuts and bruises were already mostly healed and the worst of it all would be done healing in a week at most. Agni knew he would work twice as hard at the library to make up for his brother not being there, though not being with him would pain him terribly. It was for the best. All he could do for Mira is let him rest.


	22. Green

The garden was coming to life again. It had suffered over the past week or so, there had been a break in one of the watering lines and everything had dried out, gone yellow and nearly died. Yael had, thankfully, found the break and they had managed to fix it before the damage done to this one area of the garden had been beyond repair.

It had been hard work bringing life back to the beauty of this area since these plants and flowers had always been finicky, his most difficult area. He knew he had a lot of plants that essentially needed no care, grew by themselves and he only needed to gather and trim now and again. These however, the ones that had lacked in water for a while week while they were used to the slow drip-drop of the water lines were different.

"You've outdone yourself, Yael. The garden looks even more beautiful now than it did before."

"I don't know, I think it still could be better but the plants are starting to flower again so I'm glad for that. I'm just really happy that I found the break in time. I don't know that I could have gotten these guys to grow from scratch again." They both looked over the garden for a long moment before they walked away, knowing that a rest was so very deserved at that point.

  


"At times I wonder what it would be like to live in the forest. Though maybe more in the jungle, with ferns and lianas and you'd have to watch where you set foot or you might walk on some growing plant. Just everything green, you know?" Quentin had quirked a brow, his head canted slightly to the side as he finished cleaning up their meal plates. This wasn't the first time Yael brought up that idea and it always surprised him.

"For all the green or for all the heat?" 

"Both I guess but mostly for all those plants, could you imagine what I could discover? The kind of new plants that we could find and everything else, I think it would have been wonderful to have been born somewhere where there are jungles." He laughed softly and shrugged. "I know you don't much like the cold, not after—well, you know. So I think that maybe you'd like the heat of the jungle. Not that I want to move out there into the heat of who knows where, it really is just a thought, nothing more."

Thoughts and nothing more could get them dreaming, after all, it couldn't hurt anyone at all.

They had also been watching mostly documentaries on jungles lately. It was their way of discovering the world, of learning more about things they knew they wouldn't be looking into just yet. There was a lot of things they couldn't do, mostly because of the presence of now seven cats in the house. Those cats would not be immortal, it would break their hearts once their life lines would be cut but after that, after mourning, they could travel.

No plans were made, making plans this early on was like trying to decide when things were meant to happen. Their ideas were written down but they were vague ideas and notions, nothing that actually meant much when you looked at the list as a whole: 'jungle, green, heat, great wall'. The list did go on like that. Really, if they had their way, it was likely they would travel the whole world before settling again.

  


"Do you think that maybe I'm a plant demon?" The words had come out of the blue as they had just settled in bed, Yael's head comfortably against Quentin's shoulder. He wasn't quite exhausted yet though he was tired and worn, his body ached and reminded him of the hard work he had done to make sure his garden remained as beautiful as it was meant to be. At least in his eyes.

Quentin stayed quiet for a long moment, pondering the question. It was something he had wondered about but never really to the point of wanting to ask about it. He knew that none of them at this point really knew much about their parents though only he and Yael really didn't know their roots. Agni, Mira and Zora had had some time with their families before it all went to hell. He knew the same could be said for Eoghan and Alexis had been alive long enough that the man must have known enough about his gift.

He knew he could weave, create materials in the most beautiful of shades and texture but still he could remember what he had been told when he had gone back to Siberia and had essentially been kidnapped. Yael was a different story, there really was no knowing what he was. He had a gift for plants, yes, but he had a gift for art just the same, when his muse didn't deny him its attention, which it had been doing quite a fair bit lately.

"I don't know, Yael. It's possible, I mean you have a way with plants, I don't think most of what's up there is supposed to grow as quickly as it does. Maybe you're part earth-demon, it's really hard to tell. I don't know that we should be spending too much time thinking about that, it'll just lead us around in circles."

He had shifted, pressed his lips to Yael's forehead in a gentle touch before closing his eyes. He knew he wouldn't sleep before his companion was well asleep himself but he was resting, relaxing. Slowly letting his body drift into the realm of dreams. It was a slow process, one he was more than used to, after all.

No answers came to his words and Yael simply settled a little more comfortably. He closed his eyes in turn, his breathing settling after a few moments. The slightly younger demon had worked hard to get the garden back to its former glory though Quentin saw it as a renewed glory, it looked better than it had before. Maybe it was just in the way he saw things. Anything Yael did was glorious in the long run.

Neither one of them woke up during the night, it was a peaceful, dreamless sort of few hours where they rested peacefully. Too often either one of them, though usually Yael, would wake in the middle of their sleep, jarred awake by the remains of a dream that had been either too close to some hidden truths or just plain nightmares from things he had tried hard to forget. Not this night, this night was one of peace and calm, of green jungles and discovery trips.


	23. Unexpected Entry

I worry about him, he's healing slower than he should but the doctor woman said it was normal. I suppose I should trust her, I don't remember that we've ever broken any bones before. I worry so much about him. He tosses and turns a little when he sleeps and he whimpers when he does it. I don't know if it's because he's in pain or because he's having bad dreams. I know he doesn't want to share his bed so I try to keep my distance and I let him just sleep though I watch him from his doorway for a while when I hear him start to shift in his bed a bit.

He's been quieter over the last two days though he's barely eaten anything. I really want his arm to be better, I want his bruises to be gone. I don't know that Zora will take us to that hill ever again. At least not until he might ask to go back. We can find something else for exercise and to see what we'll eat on that one night a week.

I managed to get him to drink some broth tonight before bed. I stayed a few steps back as I watched him step out of his bed and slowly walk to the bathroom where he made use of it and washed up a little with a soft cloth. He was back in bed after that and he bid me goodnight so I excused myself to my room.

He's trying to be so strong, it breaks my heart. I'm supposed to be the one to protect him. Not that I could have kept him from falling, I was several feet ahead of him though I heard him slip. If he'd been ahead of me I might have had a chance at catching him. I wish I had. It's going to haunt me the way what that man did to him those years ago still haunts me. Maybe not in my dreams but in my darker waking moments it does.

  


I don't know how long it takes me to get to sleep or how long I have been sleeping when I hear the door to my bedroom ease open. I keep it open just a bit so I can hear what's going on in his room. I sit up, eyes wide, afraid someone might be in our apartment though I know that's virtually impossible.

There he stands, my brother, his eyes wide and wet. His bad arm protectively around his ribs.

"I keep on having nightmares." His voice is so soft I can barely hear him but I do. I just scoot to the side and pull back the sheets before I hold both my arms out. This used to be our old shared room after all. It's messy now and there's not much of him that remains but it still was our shared room.

He walks in, actually closes the door—to keep the monsters away, it's what we'd do before—and he moves towards the bed before crawling into it and pressing his face against my shoulder. His eyes are wet and it breaks my heart. I refrain from just pulling him against me, I know he hurts and I don't want to worsen that.

Instead I just slowly lower myself down and he follows. Before long we're just settled comfortably, I've pulled the sheets back up to our waists since the room is warm and he's settled against me, his face to my shoulder, his good arm under him. I wish he'd just settle on his back for the sake of his ribs but I know better than to argue with him. It's easier to let him settle the way he wants. I just want him to find some comfort and be able to sleep.

When I finally drift off, I wonder to myself if I'll think it was all a dream and I'll find him gone from my room. It wouldn't be a first, I want him to feel protected so badly that I know I often dream of just staying with him in his room to keep him safe from nothing and everything.

  


Morning comes warm and pale through the windows, another rainy day. I don't mind though I know I have to get to the library to help Armin in a couple of hours. I wish I didn't have to but I promised I would help him and it's a paying job. I understand that I can't just skip out on paying jobs. Plus I know Armin needs the help, he's nice. 

Maybe, just maybe I can persuade Mira to come with me, he can settle behind the desk. Armin told us how to scan books that were being taken out of the library or brought back in.

When I turn my head, I see nothing but a mop of his own hair and my lips curl into a pleased sort of smile. I didn't imagine him coming in to my room last night. The smile is short lived, it dies as soon as I recall that he came in because he was having nightmares. He came and he sought safety, his eyes were wet. I couldn't protect him.

I sigh and pull him gently closer to my side. I inhale the scent of him for a moment before I let it go. He shifts lightly at my side and I close my eyes to fight back the desire to go crazy. I feel like I failed him and I hate myself for it. I'm stronger than that.

  


It takes some convincing on Zora's part more than Mira's to get him to come with me to the library. Once we're there, it doesn't take half as much work to persuade Armin to let Mira have the desk. He's taught us, he knows we can handle the desk work. At least the book going out or coming in part. Using the computer for anything else—like telling folks where certain books might be—is something else altogether and we're not as comfortable.

Not that it's much of an issue, there are three computers on a desk not far from the front desk where students can try to find if the book they're looking for is in or not and where exactly it might be. It's a new system but it works, from what Armin has told us and they can look for their books that way. If they're too lazy to do it, they're too lazy to read. That's what I think.

Mira looks pleased to be out of the apartment and I feel a bit of pleasure swell in me. I did something right for once. Who knows, maybe being out and about might help him heal faster. I know it's unlikely but it's a thought lost in the valley of the rest of those thoughts that have crossed my mind. I just want him to be well again, I want to see him smiling and not see him wince when he gets up and walks around. Just a few more days for his ribs, a few more after that for his arm then we'll be all set.

I want my brother to be happy. I'd do anything for him, anything at all.


	24. Bearing Fruit

I never actually expected to manage this one. Along with some of the other trees I did plant, I planted a jabuticaba. It is the slowest growing tree I had planted and I'm more than a little surprised at how well it has grown. One of the areas is closed off, set up in its own little greenhouse area. I keep the temperatures in there more humid, more tropical like. Several of the smaller and slighter plants have grown up wonderfully but this one, this very one tree I had never really expected to see fruits from. They grow slow and some say that it takes up to six or eight years for fruits to bear.

I have fruits. I have one of them right here in my hand and oh it is wonderful. It is worth working in this humidity to be able to hold this one fruit in my hand. I'm not sure what I'll do with it, probably juice this one or just slice it up so Quentin and I both can have a taste of it and decide if all my hard work has paid off. I mean, when I first started this garden, most plants flowered within the first few weeks, first couple of months of being planted, something unusual considering they'd usually take much longer. It's one of the reasons I wonder if I'm not some sort of earth or plant-born demon.

I don't so much mind not knowing though at times it's a bit hard to work with, hard to accept. Not knowing who or what I really might be.

  


Quentin gives me a strange look when I come back down into the kitchen from the second floor, I'm near literally bouncing, I can't help myself. I'm so pleased with this one tree. It had been my one test. My one experiment. The tree I hadn't been sure of. But now I had essentially just proven to myself that there was little I couldn't get to grow, there was little that would resist whatever gift I might have with plants, I was happy.

I laugh brightly and set the fruit down on the counter. He looks at it and quirks a brow. I suppose it doesn't look like much but to me it does, oh it does.

"It's the jabuticaba. You know, that one tree in the greenhouse area? The one I wasn't sure would give any fruits any time soon? It has, and there are so many growing! I'll be juicing some and dropping some off over to the others of course but oh it's just wonderful!"

He's still looking at me with that strange sort of look though it's melting into a snicker and now I have to be the one to blink at him. I cant my head, look at him, then down at myself (what little I can see) then back up to him. "What?"

"You're dirty."

"How am I being-"

"You're not 'being' dirty. You're dirty. You tracked dirt all the way down and you're dirty."

I frown softly, look back and there are indeed some tracks on the floor. This makes me glad we only have rug in certain rooms and even then, I think it's only in one. I look back down to myself and I suppose my joy made me blind to the fact that I might have knelt down in some of the plant beds earlier in the greenhouse area because there is dirt on my knees, on my lower legs and more than likely under my feet since I tracked dirt all the way down.

I feel my cheeks begin to heat up to a deep blush and I stick my tongue out. It's my best response I feel so suddenly sheepish.

"I'll clean it up in a moment."

"Nah, I have nothing else to do with my time, you go on and wash up, mister master fruit grower, I'll clean up."

"I didn't mean to make a mess Quentin-" I'm ready to defend my case but he steps up to me and simply kisses me. A slow, sweet sort of kiss and tension escapes, I smile at him a little sheepishly when he breaks away, he smiles back, his own smile is warm and adoring.

"I wasn't accusing you of making a mess. You're absolutely perfect in every way and just now it was adorable seeing you bouncing with so much joy because you've managed the impossible. So go on and wash up, I'll clean up the floor. If I'm done before you're out of the shower I might join you."

I feel the blush deepen on my cheeks but I manage a playful grin as I nod. I stand there for a moment more though and I work my shoes off. No point in tracking more dirt around the house. My shoes come off, my pants follow suit (for once I'm glad to be wearing underwear) and I bundle both up with me. I drop my shoes off in the tray I have sitting next to the stairs leading up to the second floor and my pants I drop into the washing machine, I know I have other things to wash soon so I don't worry too much.

  


I take my time with the shower, not so much because of his promise to join me if he was done before me but just because I can. I like being under the water. I think back on that bubbling joy that took over me when I discovered that the tree had flowered and I sigh as I wash myself clean. My hair, my body, all of me really. I check under my nails twice to make sure I don't have any left over dirt under there. It's always unpleasant.

There is no Quentin joining me in the shower before I'm done and I'm fine with that. I know I made more than a little mess and I briefly feel bad for not noticing until it was essentially too late. There's not much I can do about it now though. I shake my head to clear my thoughts as I dry up.

I listen and I hear nothing, I guess he's done cleaning up, at least on this floor. I just hope he didn't think he had to clean up on the second floor, that one really is my job and I would have gotten to it in the later hours. Once I'm dry enough, I stretch and I slip out of the bathroom only to find that I have company waiting for me in bed. I suppose it's one way to join me, I don't mind. It's more than pleasing to come out of a good and relaxing shower to the sight of one's lover settled on the bed and waiting for them.

  


I did clean up my mess on the second floor, it took me longer than it should have if only because I checked up on plants along the way. My earlier trip had only been about the checkup of my plants in the greenhouse area. I hadn't really pampered any other on that morning so I did that. I swept the dirt into a bin, stopped by the plants, checked and fussed then swept a bit more and so on. I was tired but pleased with myself by the time I was done and not too sweaty, though I wouldn't have minded another shower.

It's just been a good day all around.


	25. Ridiculous Statement

The book was ruined. He could only stare at the teenager who had brought it up to his desk. He stared at it long and hard and tried to make sense of what must have happened for the book to come back to him in that condition.

Some of the pages were half-ripped off, a good part of the book was not quiet wet though far from dry, the pages curling slightly at the corners. There was some scribbling in permanent pen and some in crayon. That was just half of it. 

He stared at the teenager again, trying to still understand but no understanding came to him, he couldn't fathom what had happened. The teen looked like a blank canvas, as if bringing the book back in that condition was common.

"What happened?" Finally he found his voice, still barely daring to touch the book more than was absolutely necessary, as if it would worsen its condition though that seemed impossible in itself, he doubted, short of throwing the book into the fire, that anything could worsen its condition.

"It was an accident." The teen blinked and frowned, looking at the book without really seeing it.

Armin opened and closed his mouth, he repeated the motion a couple of times more as his brain tried to understand that he had just been told that somehow this had been an accident.

"This is ridiculous, it looks like the books was thrown into the toilet after having been used as a drawing board where the participants were unhappy with the results so they tore out pages!" He was trying hard to keep his calm but it wasn't all that easy. Books were supposed to be cherished, he couldn't understand how something like that could have happened, he really couldn't. 

"I was babysitting, the kids got a hold of it, it's not my fault."

Rubbing the bridge of his nose as he watched the teenager more than he looked at the book, Armin took another slow breath and he shook his head. "Look, when you take a book from the library, it becomes your responsibility. You're the one who had the book in a place where it could be reached by the children you were babysitting. It's your responsibility to keep it in the same condition it was when you got it from here. I'm going to have to talk to your parents."

Books didn't pay for themselves, he didn't want to have to pay for it out of his own pocket and he just hoped the girl's parents would be a bit more understanding about this, he really did.

Her eyes widened as understanding washed over her but the look faded within moments, as if it really didn't matter in the long run. She wandered off before he really could get any other word in and he let it be. He scanned the book as best as he could, the scanner wouldn't read the tag. He entered the number by hand and printed out the sheet that stated who had taken this very book out last. He then ran a quick search to find the teen's phone number. It was just one of those things that were required when registering a card. If the books were late in coming back, someone had to be reached, he just hoped the parents would answer this phone.

  


The parents turned out to be a lot more understanding than their daughter. He doubted she would be coming back for books in his library any time soon and he didn't care, if someone could let a book get used and torn this way, they hardly deserved to have books in hand as it was.

The book wasn't an overly expensive one so it didn't weigh much on his mind and he was glad the parents agreed to pay for it. He figured things might have been different if the book had been in the two or three hundred dollar range. There were a fair few of those in the library, only because they were so old but in such good condition. His heart would break if one of those books ever came back to him in such terrible condition. It wasn't even in poor condition, it was in terrible condition.

The twins had come to him after the whole ordeal had been over, curious to know what had happened and he told them as it had happened. That the teenager had brought back the book in a condition where it could no longer be used by the library and there had been a fee to pay. Books might have been free to borrow but they still were supposed to be cherished. Too few seemed to grasp that one part anymore.

Mira still was somewhat slow in what he did but Armin knew it was natural. The young man really should not even have been around just yet but he had insisted and he knew that Agni being without Mira was something that just didn't work out so well. It was sweet in its own way. He didn't know exactly what had happened to the teenager though he had heard mention of a broken arm. He supposed it did prove the theory of demons Eoghan had told him about if he had healed as quickly as he had seemed to. It was so strange but wonderful in its own way.

  


Moments before he had been about to close the system down for the day, Mira did come to him with two books in his arms. It was clear he was favouring one but Armin let it go, it wasn't his place to really ask the teenager what had happened. Accidents were not all that unexpected in these years of life, at least for those who could appreciate it with all of their limbs intact.

He scanned both of the books and set them out in his own reusable bag. He hardly minded since they all lived in the same building in the end.

"Should we get Agni to carry these two?" He smiled at the teenager and received a grin in return. The books were heavy, he knew Mira could have handled the weight but if it was anything like his leg (in a very temporary way) he knew that at times, letting someone else do the heavy lifting was just one of life's little pleasures.

Agni did carry the bag, keeping between Mira and Armin as they walked back towards the bus stop and waited on their transportation. It was a quiet little day, the sun was still bright in the sky and when they did get off at their stop, they walked the last of the distance, just two blocks, in companionable silence.

Once inside the building, Agni carefully removed the books from the bag and he offered the latter back to its owner. Armin murmured a quiet thank you and thanked them for a good day of work before bidding them a good night.

Short of the one issue with the girl and the nearly destroyed book, it had been a good day. No raised voices, no fights, no issues with the system. Just one absolutely absurd statement out of a teenager who could not have cared less about the book she had brought back in. Hopefully sleep would find his mind peacefully tonight.


	26. It's All a Sham

Shopping channels, the bane of a lot of people's lives. Or at least, that was how he saw it all. He had never bought anything from them but he had heard stories. He had lived long enough amongst people and helping them with their lawsuits to know better than to believe that most of what shopping channels were trying to sell was legitimate.

Sure, some of these bits and pieces were worth people's time but it was a very small portion of everything everyone tried to sell. Most objects had their use but marketing went so far with their campaign that the basic point of most items was overshadowed by everything else.

He had been trying to explain his point to the younger demon for the past fifteen minutes and he wasn't sure if he was getting through. He knew Yael was smart enough to wrap his mind around most things he was told about, bright enough to make his own wise decisions about things but at times it was like the light just wasn't on about these things. He didn't know if it was endearing or annoying at that point.

  


"But it does what it's supposed to, right? It untangles hair." His voice was thoughtful as he looked at the paused image on the television. Alexis wasn't even sure why they had a shopping channel in their bundle as it was, it made no sense from what he'd seen before.

"It does untangle hair, but then they go on saying that you won't pull any hair loose when you do it and that it's painless. Any brush, used properly, can be painless. We lose hair every single day of our lives and brushing properly does not tear hair out, so even if you use their brush, you'll find lost hair in the teeth. The basic idea is fair, it's a hair brush, I can agree to that but the rest is a sham."

"What's a sham?" Yael's bright, blind-looking eyes (though Alexis knew better) turned to him, wide in curiosity. There were still some words the young man had never heard before, these tended to amuse Alexis most of the time, it was like teaching a child about something new.

"A sham is essentially something that is not what it is purported to be."

"You mean supposed, right?"

"Nope, I meant purported."

"What's purported means?"

He heard a soft snicker in the background and turned. He quirked a brow at Eoghan as he merely sat a few paces away, listening to them but not chiming in. Alexis supposed it was an amusing enough situation and he was smack dab in the middle of it. He wasn't angry yet, not even close, he wasn't even exasperated yet. This was a good thing.

"The verb itself is purport though it can be used as a noun. It means to appear to be or do something falsely."

Yael's face still was somewhat blank after the explanation and Alexis shook his head with a gentle chuckle of his own.

"Yael, long story short, in this case a sham is false advertisement. They're trying to sell you something that doesn't do exactly what they claim."

"But-"

"Yael." Quentin's voice quiet, amused as well though he shook his head. "Think of it this way, they say the brush doesn't rip out hair, okay, but they say that you'll never find lost hair in your brush which isn't the truth since we all lose hair naturally every day. It's like that but a bit more complicated."

Still frowning slightly, trying to make sense of what he had been told, Yael nodded eventually and sighed. "It's complicated but I guess I sorta understand what it's about."

  


"So how much more time would you have spent on trying to explain to him what a sham was if he'd kept on going on with his 'but' moments?" Eoghan snickered softly as he settled against his companion and lover. Just the two of them on their couch with quiet music playing in the background. They had left the other pair alone after a few hours spent together. It had been board-game your. The discussion had only happened because the television had been on at the shopping channel.

"I don't know, the poor guy honestly didn't seem to grasp what I was trying to tell him but I guess I can't claim he's just slow, all of these things in the world are still new things to him and he's adapting well enough that I can't fault him. I'm just glad Quentin stepped in else we might still have been going at it." He sounded amused though a little worn. The night before had been somewhat short for him though he never would complain about his short nights.

They were far and few in-between and that was really the only thing that mattered. So long as he go more rest on the following night. "But really, these hairbrushes are all shams. I understand that they do the basic thing they're supposed to but beyond that there's nothing else. They lie about how certain colours are for certain hair types, they're all identical and it's just a marketing idea to get them sold, it's just sad, really."

"Well, don't think about it anymore. I know what a sham is and I know how to avoid one most of the time."

Alexis laughed and shook his head, settling his chin to Eoghan's shoulder gently. "Most of the time, you say, I guess that's right. You did get caught up in one of those shams a few years ago-"

"How do you know about that?" They had been apart at that point, each living more or less on opposite ends of the planet.

Alexis sighed gently and closed his eyes. "Eoghan, it's not because we weren't together that I didn't try to keep an eye on you. I know I should have let you know I was but I felt wrong. I didn't spy on your private moments though I know you didn't really have any when we weren't together but I did get track of you in some ways. I didn't want us to be completely apart, I just needed a bit of time, that's all."

Eoghan shook his head, the somewhat bitter smile that had been on his lips faded to nothing. He merely let himself grow mostly lax against his lover. It didn't matter, the past was gone and they had the present and all of the future ahead of them to make up for the time they had lost, that time he didn't want to think about, the time he knew his lover had seen other people though it had only been for single nights and only ever for the physicality of the act.

"You're forgiven" He breathed the words softly and felt Alexis shudder lightly in relief. The arms about his waist tightened and he closed his eyes with a sweet sort of note. This was where he belonged.

"Plus, it was just for a brief moment, I tried, I failed and I let it go. It wasn't my kind of thing. I guess I mostly missed the idea of running my own business and it had seemed like a good idea at the time. I know that's not the case now, it was nothing like running my own business." He shrugged and yawned, shifting just so to be able to settle more comfortably against his lover.

"For now, we have the present and only the present really matters, I have you, you have me, we're together, end of the discussion. Nothing about us is sham-like and that's just that."

Alexis laughed softly and shook his head, he leaned his head down to kiss Eoghan. There were plenty of other things one could do instead of talking at this point and he was interested in something a little more physical.


	27. Sugar Coated

"Is it going to hurt?" He looks at me with those wide, somewhat frightened but so trusting eyes. I blink at him and I look down at the slight object I'm holding in my hand. How can he even imagine this might hurt? I suppose it could if I hadn't made sure in all possible ways that it most certainly wouldn't hurt in the slightest. Plus, that thing is so small I can't imagine how it would hurt him at all. Though I know not everyone is comfortable with this kind of thing.

So instead of just plainly reminding him that it wouldn't hurt, I find my sweetest of smiles and I pour a bit of sugar on the situation. "At most you might feel a tiny little bit of discomfort but it will be gone very, very quickly. I promise. Once I'm done with this I'll kiss it better and make you forget all about it, how does that sound?"

He smiles, I swear his smile could brighten up any room. He smiles and he relaxes completely. Now I know it won't hurt him. With how tense he had been just moments ago however I'm pretty sure it would have hurt and none of this would have worked.

"It's going in now, okay?" He nods, his eyes again a little wide but there is no fear in them. I smile down at him and I press it against his skin. I feel a little bit of resistance but finally it gives and the rest of it slides smoothly in place. His eyes change but now he's looking at me in with wonder, as if somehow he had still expected this to hurt to no end. I chuckle down at him and brush hair away from his face. 

"See, told you it wouldn't hurt." He starts to nod and I feel something bump against my hip. I blink and frown. I look around to try to find the source but I can't find any. I ignore it but it comes again and a third time.

  


When I open my eyes to the darkness of our shared bedroom, I stare down at the bed towards Lavi, his head bumping my hip again. He knows how to wake me up. The dream still remains with me for a long moment as I get out of bed. He usually doesn't bother waking me up unless it's a necessity.

Quentin still sleeps on, on the bed, next to my warm spot. I look at him a moment and feel my cheeks warm slightly. I guess my subconscious is trying to tell me something about our current situation. 

It's warm in the house and I suppose I don't mind cooling down for a few moments as I follow Lavi towards the kitten's room. The closer I step to the room the clearer I think I can make out the situation without really seeing it. The kittens have already begun to wander, though not enough to get out of that room yet but they do climb and now and again one will manage to make their way up to the near ceiling-high cat tower and then just meow as they can't manage their way back down.

I don't mind helping them back down, I figure it's my duty as adoptive parent of sorts. I know before long they'll manage but for now it's fine.

As I step into the room, I realize that it's not just one but three who somehow have found their way to the topmost flat surface of the cat tree. I laugh softly as I pluck one up, cuddle it to my chest for a moment and set it back down to the ground. I repeat the process for the other two. When all is quiet in the room once more, I step back out and I close the gate. Areli and Lavi can jump it easily, the kittens not yet. It's a blessing.

I wander back to our bedroom where Quentin is somewhat rubbing his eyes. He tends to notice when I get out of bed though I always do my best to not wake him.

"I'm sorry, three of the kittens were at the top of the tower and couldn't figure out how to get back down, Lavi came to get me. I don't know why he didn't get them down himself, I guess he just preferred my being awake." I chuckle softly as I climb back into bed and settle next to him. He smiles at me, a sleepy but content sort of smile and I breathe a sigh, his smile really could light up a room. The thought makes me blush and I'm glad it's still mostly dark enough in the room to hide at least that much from my skin.

"I had a really interesting dream, I think I'll tell you about that in the morning. I think my mind is trying to tell me something though." He cants his head at me and I laugh again, a soft sort of sound. I figure it's unfair to tell him that I had a dream about something but not tell him about it yet. I scoot closer to him, pressing my lips to his ear and I feel him shiver minutely from my closeness and the touch.

I tell him about the dream, trying to recall every little detail my mind might have tried to forget in the time I spent with the kittens. His skin warms against mine and pleasure swells in me, knowing I can get this kind of reaction out of him. I wasn't sure how he would take to the dream. Sure, we've done certain things together but nothing quite like my dream and I didn't know where he would have preferred being as far as our positions were concerned.

He hugs me and I relax against him. I know we're both too tired to really do much about the dream except appreciate it and let it fill our mind, maybe give us a few ideas for morning or for whenever we know we might not be disturbed. We don't get much undisturbed time lately, not with the kittens growing up and learning to climb.

I don't mind and I don't think he does either. We still manage to make time and that is what's most important to us both.

I nuzzle his shoulder and close my eyes with a sigh. We settle back down and I settle against him, just the way I usually like to sleep on the mattress on the water most of the time. I don't know why I find so much comfort in being settled against him this way. I suppose it's because it makes me feel safe. It reminds me that I'm not alone and that I have someone I can confide him, someone I can love and cherish. I do all of those things too I know he feels the same.

It isn't long before sleep takes over and the dream slowly winds its way back into my mind. I can't complain, it was a pleasant dream and a pleasant discovery, even if it only is happening in my head. In the fog of my dream, I feel Quentin's arm tug me closer to his side and I tangle my legs utterly with his. We usually wake up on either side of the bed, even if we fall asleep tangled but it's knowing that we sleep this close that comforts me.

  


The dream changes, the positions are inverted and I know this will be as interesting as the one I was having before I woke up. I'm all for different ways of life, I'm all for trying everything I can try to learn about the world in general. If I don't try, I know I'll never really know or understand how it all works out and knowing is important to me.


	28. Wonder Woman

Once a week they meet up still, they decide on the region where their meal will be from and what movie they will watch. At times they will settle for several commercial-free episodes of a particular series. Horror movies are usually kept for weekend meals, mostly when Zora doesn't have to work for the following day and doesn't have to worry about her brothers having nightmares, though they never have had to this day any nightmares following horror movies.

Today's meal was of Grecian origins and the movies were actually episodes from an animated series that none of them had really heard about. The twins found it through the queue.

"Why is she wearing so little?"

"I don't honestly know, Agni. Most female super heroes I've ever seen have never worn much, I suppose it's in the appeal that beautiful women shouldn't cover up or something but I feel it's in poor choice. There is nothing to really protect her from harm while she's wearing these outfits, unless somehow she manages to block or counter ever blow that comes her way." Eoghan, whose small collection of comic books is old and actually in the library they have at the back with Alexis's things. They are so old that they are in plastic sleeves and mostly just looked at and not so much read.

"It's stupid."

"I admit it is. If I were a woman, I wouldn't really want to wear that kind of thing. I think I'd be too self conscious to really step outside wearing that anyway." He laughs softly and shakes his head, reminding himself that it was perhaps best to not watch that kind of thing again. The animation style was strange and he couldn't really bring himself to care about the characters though he'd 'met' most of them before through his comic books.

"What about you, Zora? Your thoughts on our heroine's choice of clothes?"

The only woman in their group shrugs and snorts softly. "It's impractical. I mean I get she's supposed to be this great Amazonian warrior but that outfit is just flat out impractical. It doesn't cover anything and doesn't protect her."

Most of their thoughts during the whole viewing of the episodes center on the heroine's inability to find proper clothes though they all know, sadly, that it isn't so much the heroine's fault as the basic idea behind her character's setup is that way. Still it ruins most of the evening's viewing.

  


"Isn't there a way to block animated stuff from being viewable on this thing?" Alexis's voice quiet as he looks through the settings on their player.

"Not everything that is animated is bad, you know?" Eoghan, quietly amused, stands at his side, just watching him for the time being. He knows that most of their evening after the meal was spent going on about how the heroine's choices of battle clothes was poor, it hadn't been a good evening. The meal itself however had been wonderful and he was glad he'd outdone himself yet again.

"Name me one animated movie that doesn't suck."

"Just about anything from Miyazaki? I mean, there's Princess Mononoke, there's Sprited Away and a bunch of others. Most of Disney's movies. Even the old ones, they're beautiful the stories are nice. Even if most of them are for children." He could go on, he knows but he leaves it there. He shrugs but chuckles as Alexis rolls his eyes at him.

"Fine but you know what I mean. I mean most of these television series. I have nothing against most movies but these series essentially drawn up for teenagers to goggle at aren't really worth our evening time. I'm pretty sure Quentin fell asleep during the first episode."

Eoghan laughs and shakes his head. "I'm not all that surprised, I'm pretty sure he honestly falls asleep partway through most of our evenings. I don't know what Yael does with him but he's worn out good and proper most of the time."

Grinning, he takes the remote control from Alexis's hand and merely sets it down, turning the whole system off. "Okay, so tonight was a bust but it just was one night. We know better for next time. Heck we could watch a Miyazaki movie next time. I think everyone would appreciate that."

Nodding, Alexis stretches and yawns as he moves out of their movie room and back into the living room. "Honestly, I'd think these kind of shows with the half-dressed women might give these kids more nightmares than horror movies. It's degrading for women to be shown wearing so little."

"This coming from the guy who only likes to look at women from afar, afraid he might break them and not really wanting to even get to know them unless they're part of the family in some way." Eoghan's voice gently amused, teasing his lover as he leans against the taller man's side.

"I'm tall and built, most think I'm a brute. Women for the most part, those I've met in any case, are fragile, they'd break and I'd much rather have my hands on someone more like you. I know I've told you that yes, I was sexually active in the times we were apart but most of the time they were poor replacement for you. Either they had your eyes or your je ne sais quoi. The past is gone, I just want to focus on the present and know that I have you all for myself."

"All yours until the end of eternity. I'll continue to hump away at you even after I've gone." He laughs softly though that laughter turns into a startled cry when Alexis picks him up without warning and sweeps him into his arm before he starts on their way to the bedroom. "Warn next time!"

"Nope." Laughing now, Alexis takes them to their bedroom where he carefully sets his lover down on the bed with a chuckle. "I know how to make up for the fact that the movie night was a bust."

Opting for innocence, Eoghan looks up to Alexis, his eyes wide and curious as he scoots playfully back on their bed. "And what might that be, mister big bad wolf?"

Quirking a brow, Alexis stands still and crosses his arms over his chest. "Well anything that doesn't have to do with poorly designed clothes for fighting women is a good distraction but I figured I'd see about getting rid of your clothes and reacquainting myself with how you've been designed for me. How well you fit against me and how well I know all your little spots."

  


"Can we vow to never watch that kind of thing again?"

"I don't even know why you picked that anyway. Pretty sure you didn't read the description to the series."

"I didn't, I guess the art on top just had my attention if only in a small way. I mean, I don't know. I didn't know what to pick and I mostly ended up picking at random."

"Next time, let someone else pick?" Mira's voice is gently teasing and his brother huffs softly, shrugs but finishes tucking his brother into his bed. 

"Not like you ever really pick anything more interesting than what I've picked before."

"All right, here's to an idea, we both let someone else pick next time, yes?"

"Sounds good."

"I don't need tucking in anymore, Agni, you know this."

"I'm just looking out for you."

"If you're looking out for me, you can give me might goodnight hug, then."

Smiling lightly, as if giving in to a child demanding sugar, Agni eases closer and hugs his brother close. He kisses his forehead and sighs before he rests their forehead together. "I was terrified, Mira. I thought I was going to lose you, I thought you were going to die."

"Agni, it was just a bad break. I don't even know what I slipped on. I'm okay, I barely even hurt anymore so it's all right, okay? I'm good and we're safe."

Nodding, Agni tightens his hold on his brother for a few moments before he lets him go. "Sleep well, Mira. I'm just across if you need anything."

"Thank you, Agni."


	29. Baseball

"Don't throw so hard!" Zora's warning is sharp as she looks between her brothers, a frown to her lips. She sits back in the shade, watching them play but keeping a very worried eye on her youngest brother. He might have said his arm and ribs no longer hurt but she doesn't want to chance anything if she can have just the hint of a chance at not chancing it at all. Worrying about her brothers is all she can do for them at this point in their lives.

"I'm hardly throwing it with any strength!" "I'm fine, Zora." Both boys answer at once and laugh. Mira looks at the small ball in his hand and he curls his fingers about it. He flexes his arm. He feels the muscles work, he feels he strength in his bones and he smiles softly. He really can't feel the break at all and he's thankful. 

"I'm all right, I swear Zora. I need to keep working my muscles if I want to be sure it all healed right and proper. You can go back to your book and stop worrying about me or about Agni manhandling me." He laughs again, the sound is bright and happy. His sister huffs softly but does turn her gaze back to her book though she's nowhere near anywhere in its reading. She hasn't even really started it.

"Don't hog the ball, Mira!" Agni calls out to his brother, his eyes bright. His attention briefly shifts to the right-side patio door sliding open and he waves to the crutched man as he steps out and then settles into the comfortable swing with a book of his own. Agni isn't even sure if he's ever seen Armin without a book near his person. He doesn't mind, he likes Armin, he learns with the man, it's a wonderful situation as far as he's concerned.

"Agni!" He turns back just in time as his brother calls his name and he catches—just barely—the ball as it comes his way. He shakes his head and moves away from the building. Better to throw it off into the fields to the sides of the building instead of towards their home, after all.

"He seems to be doing better." Armin's voice is gentle, a soft apologetic undertone in case his comment is not welcome. 

Zora frowns as she puts her book down with a sigh though she turns to the man and manages the hint of a smile. "He's much better, I still worry that he might do something wrong and it'll be the hill all over again. I feel so guilty it happened."

Never having had the opportunity to actually discuss with her, Armin takes his chance, it isn't so much that he wishes to pry, he's only wanting to know his neighbours a bit better, in the end. He knows he's not like them but it doesn't hurt to try to befriend others, after all.

"Agni told me that it was an accident, Mira slipped on the way up. There was nothing you really could have done to prevent the accident. I know you've probably heard this a lot already. I just know how you're feeling. The guilt might never fade away but you can't really let it eat away at you."

She quirks a brow at him, her head canting somewhat to the side in curiosity. There is an unasked question in her eyes and he smiles just barely. He shrugs and briefly looks off towards the two boys as they throw the baseball back and forth. "When I lost Andoni, the man I had spent a few years with, I blamed myself for it despite that it was an accident. It took me years to stop really blaming myself though it still hurts when I think about it."

"Oh." Her soft answer, though short, is full of little things that he can easily pull apart and that without even needing to look into her mind. He's gotten better at controlling his gift. She's sorry for his loss, she knows the pain doesn't really compare but she's thankful that someone else might know the burden of the guilt. 

He smiles at her lightly and motions to her book. "This is an original version, if you're not well versed in the old languages you won't really get anywhere. There's a newer print of that book that's all in French if you'd rather? I'm pretty sure I've seen it in Alexis's private collection, I assume that's where you got this one?"

She shrugs and looks at the book cover again. "I don't know why I took it. I just went in and picked the first thing my hand reached for."

"You're worried for your brother, you're just trying to distract yourself. If you tell me what kind of books you like to read I might be able to find something for you. If not in Alexis's library then in the city one and the boys can bring it back to you after our work day in two days."

Her eyes become unreadable, as if he just uttered something that made no sense to her at all. Perhaps because he's different, he's unsure but he doesn't push. 

"I haven't had a whole lot of time to read since I've had to leave the family and look over them but it would be nice to get back into the habit of having a book handy." There she finally smiles again and it is a genuine sort of smile.

  


After nearly an hour spent exchanging book ideas and old favourites, Armin has a fair idea of what kind of books he can try to find for her and their first stop is Alexis's private little library. He has told them that they can step in, so long as they are careful and don't touch anything behind the glass cases.

Zora looks mildly uncomfortable as she watches Armin wander slowly up to the second floor but she keeps her mouth shut. She knows that he was born this way, it is one of the details Eoghan has let slip so she understands that he knows his own limits. It still makes her uncomfortable to watch him walk with the crutch, she knows she has to get used to it and gives it her best on a daily basis. She puts the book back where she found it before following him up to the second floor.

On the second floor, Armin walks nearly to the end of the trailer and looks the books over. He talks to himself for a moment before he picks up a book that looks as if it had better days but it still is in fair condition. She steps closer to lightly take it from his fingers and looks the cover over. She turns the book to be able to read the back briefly.

Her smile warms and she nods with a soft chuckle. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, you know your books well and you seem to be able to read and understand what a person might actually want in a book after talking to them for just a little while, it's actually sort of nice. I think I'll like this book."

"You're welcome." He merely is pleased that she seems to have, at least temporarily, forgotten that her brothers were playing catch out in the yard. Not that this is what he was aiming for but he's pleased to realize that he can be useful when not in the library, though essentially he just did his librarian job by finding her that book, in the end.

"Let's head back down, I think I could do with some iced tea and who knows, others might like some as well."


	30. Far From Home

"Zora?" The quiet voice pulls her from her reading. The books that had been brought back to her from the library for reading really did fit into her kind of book, she was thankful to have something to do in the hours she spent at home, away from work.

"Yes, Mira?" She lifts her gaze to look to her brother, having only expected one, she blinked at seeing both of them standing side by side in the doorway.

"Are we ever going to go home?" The question startles her and she puts her bookmark in her book before putting it down. She unfolds her leg and looks at her brothers for a long moment.

"We are rather far away from home, aren't we? You two must not have many memories of India, I imagine it has changed a fair bit since we last were there." She goes quiet, thinking about the question they've asked. She smiles at them gently and chuckles ever softly. "We could eventually, whenever I get my first week of vacation. I don't know that I would call it home though, there's no knowing if anything from what we knew is still up and about."

"Personally I think this is home!" Agni's voice is soft but sure of itself. He straightens and puffs his chest lightly, as if to make himself seem more than he really is. Zora laughs and shakes her head.

"I guess you could be right, they do say that home is where the heart is. Could this be it?" It is a question that is not half as rhetorical as it sounds and she knows it. This place is nice, Alexis and Eoghan are kind to her and her brothers. They have yet to try to abuse of them in any way but she can't seem to believe it will happen, there is something definitely different about this place.

"Home is where my family is and you're both here so home is here." He calms now, his shoulders drop and he looks somewhat uncertain. He glances to his brother who has been quiet since he first asked the question about a possible trip to India. He doesn't know whether or not he would want to stay there but visiting to have an idea of what they left behind has been on his mind, though he knows he can't afford it. Not yet, at least.

"The heart makes a home where it wants to be. This place is nice and I like Armin, he's not like us but he's like us in his own way and we're all one big family." Mira smiles and nods, as if this is the only answer he was hoping for from the beginning.

  


"That went better than I had expected."

"I don't honestly know what we were expecting. We've been out of India for a really long time now and I just wanted to know if it ever crossed her mind that maybe we could go back. I know that the family there is more than likely gone, as is the house and everything else but I thought maybe there was still some desire to go back."

"Do you want to go back?"

"I don't know. I barely remember anything from there and I can't imagine you remember much either. When I close my eyes I just see a lot of people gathered together either around in the kitchen or the big table outside. People wandering off to work in the fields. It's all pretty fuzzy but I thought that maybe if we went, at least to visit, some memories might come back more clearly." He shrugs and offers his brother a sort of half-smile as they sit side by side on his bed. He feels closer to his brother now than he did when they were still sharing a bedroom and bed.

"Plane tickets are expensive." 

"Yeah I know, we could save up from the library job. It's not much but we barely buy anything so we could just save it all up, we could even save up for Zora and she wouldn't have to pay for anything." The idea seems like a good one in his mind but he knows it likely might just not work out for them that way. Zora would never let them help pay for that kind of thing, at least not until they were eighteen and they just didn't know when she might or not get some time off so they could go on that kind of trip.

"We could get books from the library or buy more books from the store but I know it's not the same, pictures are one thing, videos aren't all that different, it would really have to be a visit there so we could visit the old home grounds."

"What if the hunters that broke the family apart made their home there? What if by visiting there we get in trouble and they try to kill us?"

His brother quirks a brow and shakes his head, a wry sort of smile settling to his lips. "Can you imagine? It's been years, if hunters settled in the house of their prey for years on end, they'd never really get anything done. I mean I get what you're getting at but I don't think that would be very likely, it just seems a little far fetched."

"I guess you're right. What do we do now?"

They spend the next several hours lounging at times in the sun, at times in the shade, watching the clouds drift on by as they laze up on the roof. The weather is warm and comfortable, there's not a single storm-ready cloud in the sky and they hardly can ask for anything else. Their life really has taken a turn for the better in recent months and they're more than thankful for all that has come their way.

  


"A trip home." Zora's words are soft and thoughtful as she looks out the window, the book forgotten on her lap. It has crossed her mind once or twice but nothing that has stayed long enough to really make her wonder whether or not it was a fair idea. The price for three plane tickets from here to India are outrageous for the kind of money she makes, she knows it might take forever to afford it all if she could at all.

With her luck, her vacation would come and go before she had enough money for the three of them and she would have to wait another six months or even another year before considering the idea again. It doesn't seem like such a terrible idea but she doesn't know what they'll find out there if they do go back.

Will their childhood home still be standing? Will it have burned down, trampled by who knows what? There are so many questions to which she has no answers that the idea of actually visiting the old grounds where she and her brothers grew up frightens her somewhat. She doesn't really know what to make of it.

"Well it's not going to happen in the next few weeks as is so it gives me time to wrap my mind around it. I can't just dismiss the idea now since they're the ones who brought it up. I suppose I was waiting for them to make the first move. I didn't want to just drag them out of this place and back out there if they didn't want to." She sighs and closes his eyes. 

Her fingers brush over the cover of the book and she shakes her head lightly. She wonders if Vijaya, the young man she'd had herself quite the crush on while growing up, still was around. He had been from another family but he had spent most of his time around her own, helping with the fields. It is farfetched to hope for that kind of thing, she knows, but at times the past does come back to surface and some old friendships can be rekindled. It would be a good reason to try to make the trip a possibility.


	31. A Joke

From what little he could see from the front window, this place wasn't one he would make a habit of spending his time at. It was filled with fake vomit, fake poop, x-ray vision glasses and a world of things he didn't even want to touch. He knew they weren't bad things but they just were the kind of thing he didn't care about. He wasn't sure why he was there at all to being with. He supposed it had been curiosity. He had been on his way back home after getting a few things from the bakery.

The place was brand new from what he could see and what he recalled. The space had been up for rent for a couple of months at most, there had been a tea place here before, a small little boutique, run by a couple of old folks. They'd been really nice but a franchised tea shop had opened just two corners over and everyone had flocked. He'd still bought everything from the old couple but most customers had left and they couldn't have kept the place going, it had been a shame.

He shook his head at the gag shop, or was it a joke shop? It didn't seem fitting one way or the other. He takes a step away, to go on his way and get home and he steps closer again. Trying perhaps to convince himself that the place wasn't evil. He couldn't help but feel that most people who played jokes on others weren't all that different from bullies who made fun of just about the same people. Of course, one was done because it was meant to be fun and the other because people were idiots but still, the two seemed attached in his mind.

With a sigh, he finally walked away. The scent of still fresh and warm bread filled his nose, pushing him to get home to appreciate the warm loaf was it was just that, still warm.

  


"Please tell me you don't think you'll ever set foot in that shop." It wasn't that he didn't want the place to have business, he just didn't want the place to have business from his own home. Alexis, Eoghan, the twins, their sister or even Armin could go if they wanted but he doubted he could handle things if somehow Quentin decided he wanted to buy from the place. He couldn't imagine just what kind of things Quentin could get from there.

His companion and lover offered him a smile and a chuckle. He shook his head and took the loaf to cut it into warm slices. "I've never been the joking kind, Yael, we both know this. I have poor control over my temper and mortals who fall into the side of idiocies by buying fake vomit or poop to amuse themselves set me off. We both know I'll more than likely never set foot in there. Of course there's the statement that one should never say never but in time, I still doubt I'll go anywhere near the place else than to walk past it to get to the bakery."

"I'm the only one who ever goes to the bakery, you're still too lazy to get up early enough to go, Quentin." Yael was the one to laugh this time, his head shaken though a slight smile found his lips.

"True, but who knows, one of these days you might just manage to wake me up early enough to drag me there. I always go closer to noon and by then most of their fresher breads are all gone and while there still are some scents of warm bread it's mostly all gone too."

"Which is why you need to go way early in the morning, when there's everything we could ever wish for."

"One of these days I'll stop being such a lazy idiot."

The bread is served, set out on a platter with a few cheeses and pâtés. Quentin sets out two glasses of juice on the table and they settle to enjoy their almost too fresh breakfast.

"I still can't wrap my mind around who would want to buy fake poop. I mean you can use it once, or twice around but then I can't help but think it would lose its novelty."

"Yael stop thinking about it."

"Sorry."

  


As afternoon settled and the sun remained high in the sky still, Yael slipped into the pool, sighing softly as he felt his muscles relax and he let his mind finally let go of everything that had bothered him since he woke up. The kittens are fed, they're playing and wandering around more easily now. He has to briefly remind himself that they will have to find names for them sooner rather than later, it hardly seems like a right idea to keep on calling all of them 'kitten' or 'number one' 'two' 'three' and so on, though it did seem to amuse Quentin to a point.

The garden has been tended to, he ate, has managed to go through a slight backlog of old requests for art that he has had to refuse since he cannot bring himself to draw just yet again. Quentin was elsewhere, more than likely with Eoghan, discussing things he couldn't really understand but didn't spend much time thinking about.

He was more about the world in general, earth, the garden, the animals that surrounded them, their friends. Quentin was a bit more the type to make sure that his money was still secure and that they didn't have to worry about that, that they did have food on their table and that they were comfortable with their lives. They did complete one another well.

After swimming a few laps, Yael pulled the air mattress from its spot against one of the walls and pulled it out onto the water before he was settling on it. The ambient is warm and comfortable, he could have slept there for several more hours if he hadn't know that there were, eventually, other things he would need to see to in the house. Or at least his mental list told him that there were other things to eventually do but he needed to relax.

  


Quentin found him still drifting on his floater in the pool. The sun had begun its trek along the horizon. He had spent a few hours with Eoghan, just checking a few things over that had been overdue. The sight of his lover, sprawled and fast asleep there in the pool told him that he should have let the other rest but he knew better.

Yael was never truly done with his daily chores even if they were not necessary. Vacuuming, dusting, dishes cleaning (this one baffled him because they did the dishes as they dirtied them so there rarely were any dishes to clean at all), laundry. The list could go on.

He looked around the pool, as if to find the prefect spot to snag the floater back to bring it to the side since it was floating dead center of the pool at this point. He didn't want to wake Yael with a start.

Finally, after some thought, he merely shrugged and undressed. He would hardly melt once in the water and it could do him some good. They could shower once he got them out of the pool and then see to maybe some time to relax and appreciate the peace of their home before the kittens began to request attention. It wasn't quite a routine but it wasn't far, it was more than fair by him, his life was going well.


End file.
